The stairs were dark, and it was cold. There were arms, multitudes of arms, long and grasping upwards, and she wrapped her own arms around herself and shivered.

Down the stairs was a lobby, less cold than the stairs, and brighter. Past an elevator there was a fire, the source of the heat, and she flinched. If she had some water—the rain pelted down while she twisted her umbrella, and the fire died down, disappearing as if nothing had burned moments before. Just that cinder smell in the air that made her cough as she walked through the arch, into a dank room with shelves and shelves and shelves. She barely noticed the wet sliding sound of the creature that followed her through the room, wide mouth opening and closing with a wet smack.

Instead, Madotsuki moved towards the door, a familiar sort of feeling making her smile.

The room through the doorway was so bright! Madotsuki covered her eyes with both hands, the rain wetting her hair and clothes and pattering on the white white white floor. After a moment her eyes adjusted, and along with the patter of rain she could hear faint music from the next room; through the open archway she could see a white table and white chairs, everything white.

Everything white, except for the tall figure clothed in black at the immense piano, in front of the large window, black space and white pinprick stars gliding lazily by.

He pressed a key with one long, white finger, a low note issuing before he turned and noticed her. He was just as black and white as the room, or ship—stark white face with a long, angular nose and a slightly frowning mouth, made almost unreadable by lack of eyebrows. His hair was as black as his clothes, chin length and straight, almost severe.

His eyes went in different directions, the whites instead a dark gray in which his black irises swam, the left eye looking downwards and the right eye gazing towards the ceiling.

He frowned at Madotsuki and spoke--words didn't issue from his mouth, instead a jumble of tones, but she understood and hunched her shoulders, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Masada-Sensei." And just like that, the rain stopped, and he turned again to wipe droplets from the piano keys, creating an odd melody. Going over to the small white table and its two chairs, Madotsuki produced a teapot. "Would you like some tea?" This time the tones responded by her shoulder, a negative, and looking up she noticed Masada-Sensei looking at her curiously, before he very slowly extended two long pianist fingers and hesitantly plucked at the shoulder of her pink sweater.

Madotsuki realized she was the only spot of color in the entire ship, and how strange she must look! But he seemed to like the color, plucking once more before smiling and moving away, back towards the piano.

Smiling to herself as he began to play again, Madotsuki resolved to bring him something colorful the next time she was in space.