My Angel of Music (An Alma and Orfeo Waterfire Saga Fanfiction)

The Audition

"Chi il bel sogno di Doretta

Pot indovinar?

Il suo mister come mai

Come mai fini

Ahim! un giorno uno studente

In bocca la baci

E fu quel bacio

Rivelazione:

Fu la passione!

Folle amore!

Folle ebbrezza!

Chi la sottil carezza

D'un bacio cosi ardente

Mai ridir potr?

Ah! mio sogno!

Ah! mia vita".

Alma's voice finished with the instruments, on cue. Her voice had been impeccable, her emotion so wholesome, it filled the entire room. Orfeo, who'd been staring intently at her the entire audition, now leaned back in his seat, whapped a kerchief from his pocket at the other judge, and uttered a single word "Wow."

Alma laughed and bounced on her feet. There was something about being under his gaze that made her giddy.

"Well done, Alma. "

She watched his mouth as he said her name. Alma. She wanted to place her lips against his, gently, but passionately. She tilted her head, and then realized with a touch of embarassement, that she was supposed to say something. "Thank you,"

"Okay, so I know I'm not supposed to do this-"

The other judge stood up, "DeStefano, I'm warning you-" Alma laughed; clearly he did this a lot.

"No. " He raised his hand up in the air. "I want to hear her sing 'Quando m'en vo'".

Alma hesitated. She knew it by heart, of course, but she hadn't practiced it. At all. What if she messed up? What if she realized halfway through, that there was a note that she couldn't hit?

"If you don't want to.."

"No, no" she swallowed, "I'll do it. "

"You sure?" He turned around, and her eyes traveled over his face, the hair that fell over his blue eyes, his chiseled face, his mouth.

She felt the red flowing up into her cheeks, and she turned her face to the side, and then began to sing.

"

Quando men vo soletta per la via,

La gente sosta e mira

E la bellezza mia tutta ricerca in me

Da capo a pie'..."  As she was singing, Orfeo had moved from behind the judges' table onto the stage. She blushed as he came near, but she kept singing. He placed his hand on her hip, and one upon her back, and she paused briefly to think that only that fine fabric that held together one of her best dresses was between her body and his hand, which was pressing warmth. Just a few strands of tulle and twine woven together. She took a staggered, gasping breath before continuing on.

"Ed assaporo allor la bramosia

Sottil, che da gli occhi traspira

E dai palesi vezzi intender sa

Alle occulte beltà.

Così l'effluvio del desìo tutta m'aggira,

Felice mi fa!

E tu che sai, che memori e ti struggi

Da me tanto rifuggi?

So ben:

le angoscie tue non le vuoi dir,

Ma ti senti morir."

She finished quietly, and opened her eyes, to find his staring at her.

"Oh, gods, DeStefano, quit flirting, and make your record. Next!" She shouted. One of the other singers at the opera stalked in.

As she and Orfeo parted, the other singer brushed past Alma said, "Don't get too excited, just because he asked you to sing twice."

On a normal day, Alma would have thought that this was rude, and probably true, but when she was with Orfeo, she didn't think anywhere in that direction.