Bringing The Music Back

[Felix Nicholas]

Music therapy was a diverse subject, and one Felix had been enthralled with since he'd undergone his mutation. When your ability allows you to manipulate sound, from it's volume to it's pitch, as well as allowing you to separate layers of sound... It was fairly certain eventuality that you would end up interested in the musical arts.
While Felix held a soft spot for creating music, dominantly with mixing tracks, he knew from very early on that his heart lay with the idea of using his ability to help others.... And was something he hoped to develop further in his role as a teacher.

Felix settled himself into what he was fairly certain was still his old chair, comfortably folding one leg over the other. This place... Felt like home. The Academy and Kalispell he held with great fondness, but this room... The radio station at Bellefonte Academy... Was perhaps to Felix the very definition of the word. It hadn't changed much; The same old chair, the same console he'd modified and installed himself. It seemed that the radio station had continued in his absence, which warmed his heart. The teacher however was not there to take up the role of radio host, but was instead using the free time slot in the office to set up a makeshift music therapy room. He felt this office was the most suitable to the task, a space where he had a large amount of control over different musical techniques. Perhaps if this went well, he could speak to Erika about setting up a permanent drop in centre... He mused on the thought, pushing away from the ground with his foot so that the chair span slowly round, glancing at the clock on the wall as he passed by; She was late... He sighed softly, closing his eyes as he leaned back in his chair, stopping his twirling round abruptly with his foot. 
Addison was a dear friend... One of his musical collaborators back when he attended the Academy as a student, and a young woman he'd been certain would have a vibrant and for filling career ahead of her. But she seemed... Lost now. He noted the dull sadness in her eyes when they'd last spoken, as she spoke of her desire to rekindle her love for music. Felix offered his help... A few sessions of music therapy, in the hope he could somehow help her.

He just hoped she hadn't decided to back out... 

[Addison Sloane]

So many things had changed since the last time she spoke to Felix Nicholas. Her muse had died, quite literally and most definitely figuratively and music had since fallen to the wayside. But Addison was not the type of person to back down from a promise. By that virtue, though it took her almost an hour to psych herself up to get out of bed just to get ready, she went over to the Academy with her eyes covered with sunglasses to hide the bags under her bloodshot eyes.

She might have looked like a complete douche with sunglasses indoors but at least no one knew she had been crying for...God knows how long.

Stepping into the school almost made her get a panic attack. There were far too many memories in this building that she wished didn't effect her so much. Today had been the first time she even stepped foot on campus grounds and she was already trying not to panic.

Addison took a few deep breaths to calm her erratic heartbeat before pushing through the heavy emotions. She could do this. She made a promise to a friend and she would keep it if it was the last thing she did.

Felix didn't know about Isaac's death. These sessions were supposed to help her cope after releasing her last album. She just hoped it would stay that way through their session.

Seeing Felix, the diminutive brunette coaxed a small smile in his direction before settling into a chair. "Sorry for being late." She started, mentally berating herself for sounding a lot raspier than she normally would. She had done nothing but cry the past few days. Clearing her throat, she ran her fingers through her hair and looked at Felix expectantly. She took a deep breath and released it raggedly. "So..."

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix sighed softly; It was beginning to appear more and more likely that Addison wasn't going to turn up. He'd hoped that by making the appointment feel relatively casual, it would help her feel more comfortable about putting herself in a situation most people would feel at least a small amount of discomfort in... People heard the word "therapy" and assumed that it meant that something was wrong with them; It was enough to put the scare in most... No one wanted to hear that they were potentially unbalanced. Although Felix had no intention of making her feel that way, the word alone still held connotations. The teacher furrowed his brow, bowing his head slightly as he considered phoning his friend, to make sure she was okay if nothing else; He however was brought from his thoughts by the sound of the door opening, lifting his gaze to watch as Addison entered the radio station, voicing a quick apology for her lateness.

Her voice... Sounded off. Raspy, as though she was coming down with something; She was also wearing dark sunglasses, an odd choice for indoors when Kalispell was in the grip of early winter. He tilted his head slightly to one side, giving her a warm smile,
hoping to hide his concerns. "Don't worry, there's no need to apologise," He replied, keeping his tone upbeat as he got up from his chair, gesturing to the other seat in the room he'd brought in for the session, picking up his empty mug as he did so. It had once held coffee, his beverage of choice, which he'd long finished while playing with the radio's console. He paused for a moment, his expression gentle, his smile warm but the concern was evident in his eyes. "... Addy. We're going to go at your pace, okay? There's no need to feel hurried or rushed... There's no time frame here. You can take as long as you need, and each session can last as long as you feel you want it to." He leaned a little against the edge of the console. "Music therapy is simply the use of interventions to accomplish individual goals within a calm and therapeutic environment." He then paused a moment, gesturing to the room in general with his free hand. "This space, while you're here, is yours and mine. I want you to feel comfortable here... So please, make yourself at home." He then chuckled a little, bringing his hand to his his head. "Please bear with me though, this is my first session." He ran his hand through his hair, before bringing it down and lightly tapping the side of his mug. "Can I get you a drink? Tea or water would be the best thing."

Although aroma therapy was not Felix's strong point, it went hand in hand with his discipline; The subtle scent of a frequent tea
could aid in calming nerves... Which despite her only being in his presence for a few moments, Felix could clearly see she wasn't feeling as comfortable as she wanted him to believe.

[Addison Sloane]

As Felix explained what they were going to do, Addison swallowed down a sob as her hands curled into fists. She was trying her hardest not to panic, something she should have thought of before coming here. But a promise was still a promise. She didn't need a friend thinking she was a flake. Especially not when he didn't even she had a legitimate reason to. Nobody actually knew her relationship with Isaac and that was what killed her the most. Nobody knew.

The offer for a beverage was met with a nod. "Water would be fine. Thank you." Again, she had to clear her throat.

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix was not as perceptive as say, Franck, who could sense emotional turmoil, but at the same time he liked to think he could pick up on the little quivers in another, the small tell tale signs that they were fighting a battle that no one else knew about; A small catch in the throat, a nervous aversion of a gaze... Picking up on these small changes in the behavior of someone he was attempting to help was a necessary aspect of Felix's discipline.
But even with all of that... Felix could have cut the air with the tension his friend was emitting, the reason for the dark eyewear becoming all too clear.

Felix blinked at the young woman, falling silent after her request for water. He continued to tap his fingers against the mug lightly, before breathing in a gentle, soft sigh, pushing himself away from his leaning position against the radio's console. "Addy... Addy it's okay if you're not up to this," Felix urged with a kind tone, his eyebrows furrowing as he carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to get a better look beyond the black sunglasses. Something... Wasn't right. Felix could feel the slight shake to her form, as though the young woman was fighting with all of her resolve not to break, as though she was made of glass.
This was about more then just a music block... "Addy, do you want to sit down? Forget... Forget about the session. Just sit down and tell me what's wrong."
Could this be about the record label? Were they putting pressure on her to get out of her funk? ... It was run by Drew Conner...
Felix had his fair share of reasons to at least dislike the man, although he surely wouldn't have instructed for someone to press the poor woman for a faster turnover on her music.

[Addison Sloane]

When Felix tried to reassure her that they could do this some other time, with his hand on her shoulder, on instinct she pulled away. She didn't mean to show disgust but to be touched by someone else was...Addison thought people shouldn't be able to do that. Even though Felix had been a friend for a while, it was still something Addison hadn't fully worked on.

She apologised before sitting down, shifting her bag from the chair to her lap. It was certainly tempting to talk. She needed to talk. It won't bring Isaac back but at least someone would know how she was feeling. Fucking feelings, Addison thought to herself before she shook her head in response to Felix's offer to talk. "I just need to get back to writing." Addison replied. It was a much safer option to go through her music than to use her emotions for anything else.

Music always got her through everything. She didn't see why it wouldn't help now. "What do you have for me, Felix?"

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix noted the manner in which Addison pulled away from his touch, disgust in her eyes, as though his very touch had repulsed her. Felix could not recall any incident where he'd upset the young woman, and if he had, he doubted she would have come to meet him like this; As although the teacher was fairly certain he wasn't the issue, there was clearly a problem Addison was reluctant to discuss. Her shake of her head and dismissal of his offer to talk confirmed this.
There was clearly something beyond her suffering a creative block... Felix took a half step away from her in an effort to make her feel comfortable, although his concerned gaze never left her. "... Addy. If there's something you need to talk about... I'm here for you. I'm your friend before I'm your... Music councilor," He smiled a little, with a light hearted shrug of his shoulders. "Or whatever my title is." Since this was his first time attempting a formal music therapy session, Felix didn't suppose he could call himself any sort of therapist just yet.

"... This is only going to work if your goals are focused. If there's something else weighing on you... You'll find this more of a struggle," Felix spoke softly, before turning his back to the young woman as he headed to the small water cooler in the corner of the studio, plucking a spare mug from a side table. "... But if you just want to continue with the session, I will. If you want to stop at any point, let me know." He drained the cooler of a portion of it's water, bringing the now full mug of cool liquid over to Addison, offering it to her with a warm smile.
"We'll start with something simple, okay? It might be a slow process," Felix reassured her; He was concerned for Addison, but he couldn't force her to tell him what was wrong. Hopefully, through his therapy, Felix was hoping to gradually bring his friend into feeling comfortable enough to let him into what was causing her to look so... Lost.

[Addison Sloane]

Felix was such a nice guy. Addison had grown fond of him and his abilities as a musician over the past few years since she struck a friendship with the now music teacher. He was obviously not Alex but he certainly made her smile every once in a while. Like now, at his attempt to break the tension. "Thanks, Felix. I'll be fine." She lied, even tacking a smile on her face. Her heart was still beating all too rapidly.

His reassurance once again was met with a hollow smile as she accepted the mug from his hand. She placed it on the table behind her before Felix could see her hand shaking.

"Time isn't the problem here." A hitched sob gave her pause before she cleared her throat again. "Whatever you've got for me, just lay it out. I just need to start writing again." She repeated herself.

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix knew she was lying. She was desperately trying to hide the shake to her voice, the quiver of her form. There was something gravely wrong, but Addison seemed adamant that at least at this moment, she had no intention of delving into it. There was no use in pushing her, and it was clear to Felix that he was going to need to handle the session with a significant gentle hand. He kept the concern in his smile, giving her a small nod, hoping his expression showcased that while he didn't believe her, he wouldn't continue to force the issue. His smile however dropped at the catch in her throat, the sob she'd attempted to hide.

"... Addy, forcing yourself to write won't solve your creative block... Or anything else," He spoke knowingly, giving a soft sigh as he moved over towards the radio's console. "I... Don't think we should do this today, but since you really want to push forward, we'll just keep it simple."
Felix could feel the concern weighing heavily on his heart; He truly didn't want to start the session like this, especially with the delicate state his friend was clearly in... He furrowed his brow as he looked over the radio's main monitor, the program he'd initially prepared displaying on the screen. "... Would you mind sitting on the floor with me? We're going to do some deep breathing."

Initially, Felix's therapy plan had leaned more on imaginative and creative development, but now... It wasn't what she needed, as much as she thought she did... At least not yet. The teacher pressed a few buttons on the console, closing down the program he'd first developed for his friend, and opening another. He then turned back to face Addison, his usual warmth practically illuminating from his smile. "Please." He gestured towards the floor. "Don't worry, I'll be joining you. We're going to do this together." He gave her a nod, before turning back to the screen, pressing a few more buttons as he directed various lines of music to different outlets throughout the room. He took a deep breath, before sighing softly; He was nervous... He wanted more then anything for what he understood about music and sound to help others, and while he'd extensively studied the subject, this was one of the first uses of some of the techniques he'd developed.

[Addison Sloane]

Addison knew Felix meant well. She knew that. But him telling her that what she needed was not what she should be doing was annoying the hell out of her. She wanted to snap at him. Lash out. But she knew that wouldn't bring any good. God, she just felt so helpless.

When Felix offered her a seat on the floor, her eyebrows furrowed behind her sunglasses and she let out a small huff of air from her lips. She slid off the chair and tucked her legs under her. She didn't know what Felix was trying to do but she trusted his judgment. Or maybe she was just too tired to argue.

She closed her eyes and tried to keep her breathing normal. Addison was beginning to regret getting out of her house. "What are we doing?"

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix wasn't sure if this would work. Addison might be receptive, or she might not be. It was difficult to judge and plan a session or develop a program when the person involved refused to allow him some manner of insight into what was plaguing them. Still, if this wasn't a true test of Felix's skill, nothing would be... He wanted desperately to help his friend, even if she was making it clear she had no intention of letting him beyond what wall she'd built around herself. So, he needed to start with something simple... It was truly a gift what deep, gentle breathing could do in terms of relaxation, so for now he would begin with that.

He glanced down at the young woman as she sat down, smiling softly, before he pressed the necessary buttons to instigate the change in program. He then carefully took his place on the floor in front of her; She looked... Tired. Strained... It was as though she was desperately trying to prevent herself from falling apart. "... Addy. I need you to take in a slow, deep breath, filling your lungs," He spoke warmly, taking in a significant amount of air before breathing out deeply. "Like this. Keep your eyes closed, and just focus on your breathing... Fill your lungs, then gently breathe out." He watched her carefully, wanting to be aware of any changes in her expression, however slight; She felt so delicate. After the first few breaths he took, trying to keep in time with her own breaths, gentle, long drawn out cello notes began to unwind from one set of speakers; Felix immediately threw a hand out towards it, catching the sound waves, gesturing as he slowly drew them out longer, deeper, just about heard; He began to manipulate the simple, calm notes so that they kept in time with her breathing. "In... And out." Deep, drawn out base notes during this particular relaxation technique usually encouraged the patient to keep in time, and so helped to bring in a gentle, steady breathing rhythm.

[Addison Sloane]

She responded to Felix's smile with a strained one of her own before she settled on the floor. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as per instruction. The need to cry was overwhelming but Addison tried to keep it together. At least so Felix wouldn't ask too many questions.

Addison loved Felix. He was a great friend and an excellent musical counterpart but the guy did not deserve to be bogged down by her petty problems. So she lost the guy she loved. To another woman. And wasn't there when he died. So the fuck what? People have had their family members ripped from them, some killed, some abandoned, she didn't see them complain. Who was she to complain about a lost love? Hell, she didn't even know if it was even love. She was fourteen for God's sake. And it was unrequited, that much she was certain of. It was all in her head so why should it bother her so much?

Pain shot in her chest and her head dipped down as a sob left her throat. "No." She whimpered before her body curled up into itself. With her knees up to her chin, Addison hugged her legs and started to cry. "I can't do this. I'm sorry."

[Felix Nicholas]

Every forced smile only furthered Felix's concern, and laid a heavier weight on his heart. Addy was his friend... A dear friend; And yet she was so intent on walling herself in alone with what was plaguing her. Did she feel she couldn't trust him? No... This struck the teacher more as if she didn't want to open those floodgates, not to him or anyone else... She felt so fragile... Did she fear that if she started to peel away her steeled resolve, that she'd break? She was merely sitting there, breathing, and yet Felix could sense some great war going on beneath her surface.

The sudden, broken sob that escaped her snapped Felix's concentration from the breathing exercise, her following whimper positively sinking his heart. Felix watched with widened eyes as his friend curled up, like paper touched with fire, into a quivering ball.
"Addy, no, don't apologise, you've got nothing to be sorry for!" Felix spoke quickly, shifting a little clumsily in his haste into a kneeling position, leaning forward and putting a steady hand on her shoulder. He'd pushed too far... He knew that she was fighting a unseen battle when she'd walked in and yet he'd still gone on with the session... Granted, she had wanted him to, but he should have used his better judgement... Inwardly, Felix scolded himself. "Addy... Addy what's wrong?" His voice was thick with concern, his warm eyes fearing for his friend. After some moments, he cast her a sad smile. "... Come here..." With a gentle, deep sigh, Felix settled himself next to the quivering form of Addison, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her in a hold which although was firm, she could easily push herself out of if she wished to. "... You don't have to say anything... Just cry as much as you need to."

Felix wasn't sure what could have drove his friend to this state, but it's impact was horrendously severe... This shaking, sobbing figure was a ghost of the girl he knew, the confident, bright young woman she had been. Something had truly shaken her to her core.

[Addison Sloane]

Addison didn't even realise Felix had shifted his position as she tried to stop herself from being too consumed by the despair she was feeling. She failed, clearly, as was evident by the shaking girl who looked in need of comfort.

But the moment Felix tried to comfort her, she yelped and pushed away.

"I can't do this. I'm sorry. I thought I could. I can't...do this anymore." Her voice thinned by the end of the sentence as she grabbed her bag and without a second glance back, she left the room and consequently the school compound.

[OOC: Premature wrap, I know but we have stuff to do later!]