The Sound of Austria

*5*

The lush melody filled the air, his emotions pouring through the notes as he let it take him away. After all these years, the piano was still able to express him better than anything else. From low keys to high tunes, it sang everything for him. Each piece a piece of him as it filled the building once more. Yet this time, he hoped to gain one's attention.

For three weeks, he had tried his best to fix the issue he had created with both women. Easing Eliza's heart as he patched up his words to Delilah, a feat that took him longer than planned or desired yet now, it was done. Eliza spoke and acted more like herself and Delilah had accompanied him a few times for a brief luncheon and moments of peace as he learned about her. He couldn't apologize enough to them, never would be really. Yet the piano gave him that moment to let go of the world. He thought of the other day with Delilah as she sat within his office with Hildegard as he played, Hildegard listening and enjoying every stroke of the keys yet Delilah sat upon the large sofa, intent on a book rather than the music.

To say it bothered him wasn't the true terminology but it did, as one would say, rub him wrong. He would voice it to Hildegard yet she would just brush it aside, saying that Delilah was enjoying her moment away from the chaos and ask him if he fully went over Delilah's file. That always troubled him, why would Hildegard keep pushing her file at him? He read her basics, that's all he needed really, yet what was the woman pushing on him?

As the last few notes came to, he let the keys sing for him as the air finally stilled of the beautiful instrument, the calm of the day slowly slipping in as he looked over to the large desk of the office area. There stood Delilah as the other women gave a light applaud to him, so used to his playing as she on the other hand gathered her papers and bag.

Yet again. With a heavy sigh, he moved from the piano, making his way back to his office and to his own personal space. A fit of giggles caught his ear as the slew of German came from them, making him pause as Delilah's name lifted in the air.

"Fotze." one said, gaining another fit.

Roderich whipped around, glaring at the women as he saw them pointing to Delilah as they whispered among one another.

"Du bist 'ne Schlampe!" another added.

Roderich cleared his throat, catching all of them as he narrowed his gaze at them, gaining a string of apologies as they moved back to their work. He looked back over to Delilah, their words holding no effect on her as she made her way to her classroom, awed by the strength she had with people. It wasn't his first time he had reprimanded the women of the offices for speaking to her that way, nor his last as he felt it would continue. As Alfred would tell him, she was thick skinned.

Turning back, he found himself back in his office as Hildegard smiled at him, "Another beautiful moment of music, like usual."

"Ja, that it was."

"Well you are short, you have something on your mind?"

The woman became more help than he thought he would need, doing whatever she could to help him and Delilah out, especially after his slip-up. Maybe she understood more than he did.

"Hildegard?" he heard her hum in reply, "Do you think I am doing too much to gain her attention?"

"Try not enough."

Not enough? How could it be not enough? He played for her, spoke lightly at times to her, showed her things and more yet she seemed to ignore him or be lost in a world that he still couldn't figure out.

"Please elaborate."

"Just as I said, not enough." Hildegard repeated, "It's more than small meals and music that will win her, although the book idea was very good on your behalf. She hasn't put down The Radetzky March since you left it on her desk."