Frankie was running late for her flight home, after a surprisingly enjoyable evening and dinner with Gunther even if it did get off to one of the more awkward starts she's experinced. The sidewalks had been shoveled, the snow pushed to the side mixing with the black soot of the factories of the city and freckled with cigarette butts, some with lipstick most without. She pulled her collar up before hunching a bit deeper into her coat to block the early morning wind that was cutting through the city. The city was starting to wake up, sounds of cars backfiring she hoped, paperboys, hawking their wares and shouts from other business owners trying to entice people into parting with their pennies. 

She stood at the curb at the end of the street, glancing at the watch on her wrist she waited for the traffic to clear a bit so she could get across. A few people hurried past her, muttering that she should learn to walk, but she ignored them. She had seen more enough in her life to think that men did not belong in control of vehicles such as a car with such freedom. Men were simple creatures, easily distra...

As she was looking up the street to see if there were any more vehicles coming her way or if she could cross without fear of death or maiming, something seemed to be lit up from behind by the rays of the sun breaking through the clouds. If she were more religious she'd swear a choir of angels started singing, but since she wasn't she assumed fate was a fickle friend and started to cross the street next to her, rather than straight ahead towards the airport. She had not been paying attention, given the sign from above and all, and as she stepped off the curb two things happened. First, her black leather pump landed in a puddle of slush and grime, causing her to gasp and misstep nearly sprawling in the middle of the road.

Secondly, a car horn started blaring at her, before the man behind the wheel yanked to the side, causing the car to avoid her, but unfortunately hop the curb and hit a fire hydrant with a spectacular cacophony of noise. She raised a hand to her mouth and gasped, she knew men driving was a mistake! She pulled her foot free and standing on her clean foot she shook the bits of grit and half-melted ice out of her shoe before sliding it back on. Tugging on the lapels of her jacket she let out a huff and stuck her nose a bit in the air to carry on walking, ignoring the man's inappropriate rage behind her.  

The next corner came into view, and she saw she was correct. Someone had left a piano on the street corner. One of the quieter ones, not as many people or cars creating a ruckus around her. She walked around the instrument, running her fingers over the wood surface that was well-loved. "Well hello there, my girl." She said to it, "What is your story?" she asked as she pulled her gloves off and tucked them away. Spying a soapbox off to the side from some hothead of the past, she dragged it over and plopped it down in front of the keys. Lifting the guard she let out a small sound, the keys were worn, but in serviceable condition. She smiled and dragged her fingertips over their surface, feeling the years of use that had been made here. 

She forgot about her flight and decided to just sit here on this corner on 12th Street and play the piano. She tossed her hat down next to her soapbox, hoping perhaps she could earn enough for a replacement flight home since she was not going to make that meeting. She laughed just before she started playing some basic chords to get a feel for the old girl. And when they were both ready, she started playing a joyful song that made her think of butterflies and children chasing them through green grass under blue skies. 

Dino had gotten himself into a situation............again.  For reasons that are far too complicated and long winded to to through, he found himself in an empty bathtub, on wheels, hurtling down 12th.

He could just make out, at the bottom of the hill, his recent aquaintance Frances admiring a piano.  Again, the presence of the piano, like the bath, I feel isn't the issue here, the issue is, i'm hurtling towards it in a potentially slap stick, hilarity guaranteeing situation

'getttt    ouuuuuuuutttt the   wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy'

Dino braced himself for impact.

Thomas Crown was in town. As he was walking along the streets of Detroit, he came across this lady playing the piano. With a hat out. He was always one to appreciate good music. As Frances continued to play the piano. He just sat there and took in the sounds and the bustle of the streets. You could hear the cars in the background, thugs knocking of ladies and running away with purses. And here in the middle of it all Frances just playing the piano. Serenading everyone and anything that walked past. So Thomas took the opportunity, kicked over a box and sat there smoking his cigar. He sat there and listened intently. Puffing away his cigar till, it was finished. Once it was done. He got back up. Dusted off his coat and pants. And then walked over to Frances. 

Well done there my lady. You certainly have superb talent. Although, watching you here on a street corner does surprise me a little. This is no place for a lady like you to be. 

Thomas pulled out his wallet, emptying out last bit of cash that he had in it. And then put it in the hat. 

That should cover a lot of your expenses. The music was certainly worth it. Now if I may. Can we get an encore? 

Thomas smiled as he started walking in the other direction. With the music playing among the hustle and bustle of 12th street, with old ladies screaming. With cops running behind the thugs. And here he was Mr Crown, walking into the shadows. The perfect 12th street experience. 

She had opened her mouth to thank the man, but he was gone before she could form the words, so instead, the empty air filled with "Why thank you, sir." before she looked down at the hat and gasped. Reaching for the money she counted the bills and tucked them away. It wasn't that she needed the money for herself, but it made more sense to busk than to just be a strange woman playing the piano. 

She leaned back on the bench stretching her back before putting her fingers back to the keys to play a bit more. She had time, and there were dozens of notes in her head dying to get out. 

Once again she found herself in Detroit, it was strange how often business took her away from home. With time to spare before her appointment, she headed towards her new favorite spot in the city, the piano. Taking a seat, she laid out her hat on top of the piano and started to play. She wasn't trying for anything fancy, she just wanted to get a bit of a warm-up in, practicing songs she was trying to teach the band for back at Velvet's clubs. A car horn sounded and she looked up quickly, startled, and in the distance noticed TheBowler so with a dramatic "DUN DUN DUNNN" on the piano's lower keys, she waved and beckoned him over.

With a slight helping of trepidation he walked over towards the hulking beast of machinery, ever since a young boy when he witnessed one of these fall onto a coyote he held a bit of fearful respect for the musical monster that was the piano. When Frances played the loud menacing notes, The Bowler almost thought to himself about running away but what self-respecting mobster wouldn't go headstrong into the unknown?

So what's this then? Some sort of noise making device?

Not wanting to give away his fears too much he played a bit dumb and hoped that his trembling hands wouldn't be a dead giveaway, going so far as to hide them in his pockets which then just caused his pants to shake as well. Showing a complete disrespect for science as a whole and  just how little paid attention during his brief foray into public schooling, he then asked the question that he had been wondering the entire time:

It's not going to fall on me, is it?

She laughed and moved over on the bench, patting it. "I promise, I can not lift this high enough to have it fall on you." she told him. "What, you've never seen a piano before?" she asked, slightly worried and confused. "Did you grow up in a cave? Perhaps a dank hole?" she played a few simple notes of "For he's a jolly good fellow" with one hand, kindly pretending not to notice the man was scared out of his mind. "It won't bite, ya know." She told him, "Well... unless someone slams the lid down on your hands," she told him as she pulled the wooden drawer that was tucked into the instrument out, and covered the keys for a moment. "But I think you're gonna be cool enough to stop anyone from trying that, right?"

Having flashbacks to his time in the Illinois caves he tried to push those memories deep back by focusing on the music that was being played, it was a bit flat but he didn't want to hurt her feelings and so just continued to smile and pretend that he had no idea what was going on.

It looks very dangerous, is all. Large. Powerful. Like it could just get up and...

Slamming some of his fingers onto the keys, he accidentally pressed the high notes which didn't make the effect that he was going for. Maybe he didn't know a lot about pianos, after all.

Yeah, yeah. Cool. As a cucumber. So what else can this bad boy do?

Reaching over she took his hands and using one finger showed him how to play twinkle twinkle little star, saying each note as she pressed his finger down on the key. "C, C, G, G, A, A, G, ." she paused and smiled at him, "F, F, E, E, D, D, C." removing her hand she said, "Each note has a letter associated with it, so if you learn what letters go with which keys, you're halfway to learning how to read music." She took his finger again to finish the song, so neither of them would go crazy. "G, G, F, F, E, E, D." she moved it back up the keyboard, "G, G, F, F, E, E, D." and finally, the big finish, "C, C, G, G, A, A, G, F, F, E, E, D." she pushed the pedal as she hit the final note causing it to echo and deepen, as if they had played a grand musical piece and not a child's nursery rhyme. "And now you can play piano!" she told him. 

The events of the last twenty-four hours were taking their toll on Frankie. The circles under her eyes were dark and her whole face was worn and tired. Once the family had settled into Detroit she made her excuse to pull away from the celebrations and found herself near the piano. She sat on the bench and trailed her fingers over the keys, playing simple runs and chords while her mind raced. She found it amusing that when she found this piano and claimed it as her own, it was like putting her name on this city before she needed to. As the keys were manipulated she let her mind wander to the people she'd miss, and the tears started to fall but she just kept on playing for a while. 

Dino hadn't seen Frances for quite some time so when he saw her tinkling on the ivories (I don't like her teasing elephants but you know, she is what she is) and playing the piano he went over

'Hey Frankie, you look melancholy, what's up?'

Dino took out his huge hipflask and offered her a nip

She grabbed it and had more than a few sips before handing it back, so desperate she didn't even think about germs or smells. "Lotta people died." she said, hitting some low somber notes, "Dun, dun...dunnnnnnn" she forced a smile, "And we're so far away now!" she told him before throwing her arms around him and bursting into tears. "Whos gonna protect you from mildred?"!

Dino clung onto Frances

'I know, it's scary to think of what may come, but it doesn't mean you can continue to irritate those poor elephants.......elephant? not sure what the plural is, just leave them be'

Dino takes the flask back before it's empty

She sniffled and leaned over to wipe her snotty nose on Dino's shirt, it was just a new stain amongst the others. "Yeah." she said, her voice very pathetic. She turned back to the keyboard and took a deep breath and started playing, it was haunting and sweet, and then she started to sing, slightly off tune, but still the intention was there. 

"I said, mmmbop, do pah ba doo whap shaba dap bah..." she continued on as the song played, honoring the dead in the only way she knew how. Through the lyrics of three boys who looked like girls. 

It was one of those rare days when Mel felt sick. She was taking a stroll when she noticed a piano at a corner of 12th Street. It wasn't the first time she saw it, though. She had always known about its existence but always ignored it. 

She sat down in front of the piano and pressed a key. It was fairly clean for an old and abandoned piano. Then she stared at the keys for a while before she started pressing more keys. It was then she realised she was getting looks from the people passing by. Why? Because it sounded horrible. 

She sighed. She didn't know how to play the piano. She got up and left in embarrassment.