The rain had been falling since sundown— a steady, silver curtain over Manosque. It blurred the lights of the streetlamps into trembling halos and sent ribbons of water racing down the windows of the bar. Inside, the air was warm with the scent of rich wines and old wood polish.

Elijah sat at the upright piano in the corner, his long fingers moving over the keys with quiet precision. He wasn’t playing for an audience, not really. The regulars were more interested in their wine or their lovers. Still, the music filled the small room with a kind of stillness.

He preferred nights like this. Nights where the world outside was nothing but rain and the only thing expected of him was the next note.

A soft laugh from a nearby table made him glance up. A couple leaned close over their drinks, murmuring in French too low to catch. Elijah returned to the piano, letting the melody shift to something slow, minor, like a confession whispered into the dark until the final note trembled into silence.

Then heard a claps from the bar that caught his attention, from a young woman who's sitting on the stool, fingers wrapping around a glass of champagne. Elijah looks over, and smile.

He got himself move away from the piano and approached the bar, took a seat beside her.

“Not bad.”she murmured, making Elijah turned to look at her.

"I’ll take that as a compliment." he said, his hazel brown eyes met hers. "You're the only one who pays attention to me, why is it?" he asked, just curious.

Something flickered across her face, unreadable expression before she huffed a faint laugh. "It was nice."

Elijah’s eyebrows raised slightly before he nods, "Merci." he muttered and pauses. "I’m- I’m Elijah." he offering his hand.