Our story continues:
Your companion, the girl next door, has been given three tasks to complete, and she enthusiastically tackles the first one, which is apparently to retrieve the Sword of Regret from the Swamp of Despair. You find these names almost unbearably silly and not at all in keeping with your increasingly creepy surroundings. The flames in the sky seem to be intensifying. Below, nothing stirs. You think of Sleeping Beauty's castle. You've always hated that story.
But your companion seems not to have noticed. She uses her magic to bear both of you off to the Swamp of Despair. It's easy to find. So is the sword. Everything is WAY TOO EASY TO FIND.
The girl next door is beginning to find your constant mentions of how deeply suspicious all this is irritating.
In this piece, the Kawai toy piano (the top one) is the girl next door, while the Schylling toy piano (the bottom one) is Our Heroine. The little Kawai has a considerably higher range than the Schylling and conveys happy determination easily, while the Schylling's tone is a little darker and weirder.
@thedutchwidows Feb 2022
Stacked pianos for the win! The tonal differences definitely suit the two protagonists' characters. The top one is tonally so sweet and the bottom one has an edge to it, a bit of a wobbly tone.
I fear girl next door is heading for a fall. She has powers and gumption, but she's too gung-ho and I don't trust her judgment. I advise caution - it is all suspicious and they should be careful! (I would not make a good adventurer in a world with a flaming sky and strange old men with waggly eyebrows).
@jozbun Feb 2022
Wow! I didn't know toy pianos could be that interesting. Thanks for sharing.