[Faolan is so preoccupied with the thought he is sharing that he isn't paying attention to their surroundings as well as he should. He could undoubtedly have been able to see someone coming to threaten Laurent, but as far as anticipating where they stop? Laurent ringing the bell and the man letting them into the shop to be shown to the center of a room ful of keyboards?

Despite his excitement leading up to the anticipation of this moment, he had honestly started to convince himself that he had been mistaken. Thus now for this turn of events to occur, it throws him for another turn yet again.

Faolan walks dazedly into the shop behind the owner, taking in his surroundings in disbelief before turning back to Laurent. His mouth all but hanging open in the face of the younger man's nonchalance.]

You... You really meant it...?

[The shop owner fusses at Faolan to give up his coat as well and he does so dazedly, only worrying after the fact that giving up his coat will expose his gun but it seems not to bother the man. Maybe he's grown immune to the eccentricities of life here in this city, he can't say for certain.

Glancing back to Laurent, he shoots him a look of awe before he's stepping forward across the room to where the keyboards are gathered. He could probably use a coffee but he'd also probably be terribly distracted from it. He runs his fingers over the keys of one of them without pressing down, before glancing back to Laurent once more.]

I. I was starting to wonder whether you'd even remembered saying it, but this... [Faolan glances around the store, before realizing something retrospectively and glancing back to Laurent to ask:] Did you have the shop close today? For this?

[For him.]

[So he didn't feel rushed. Faolan continues to gape at the younger man for a moment longer, before he turns to the keyboards themselves. A few of the models aren't quite what he would pick for himself, to be fair, but there are still more than enough to choose between. Tentatively he presses down on one of the keys and yes, proves that they are all plugged in and waiting for him to test them out.]

Would I have to keep it in my room?

[That would probably influence the size of the instrument he's choosing, after all. How easy it is to put it away.]

[Faolan walks in a circle around Laurent and the keyboards, before settling into the seat of one of the first he finds with a full stand and damper pedals.]

A little. [He confesses, reaching out to rest his hands on the keys. It's been a while since he's played, and he's a little rusty, but not so much that he's forgotten everything that he's learned before. Hesitating for a moment, he plays the opening line of a piece, before stopping sheepishly and glancing up at Laurent with a smile. Not bad, but the touch is off.] They've all got ports for headphones. Since they're digital. If you're worried about the noise. Or we could use a spare room, if you'd like. I just...

[He traces a key with his finger.] You said you'd let me play for you? It's not easily done without having to move it in and out. Hiding it away. It's not a guitar, to easily slide under the bed until I feel like pulling it out. I'd rather... Leave it set up somewhere. If that's alright? [Somewhere where it won't get in the way of his morning routine. Somewhere a little less 'his' space than he recognizes his bedroom to be. Than Laurent treats his bedroom to be.]

[He probably wouldn't ask him to move, in all honesty. If he wanted to be alone to play, it takes something away from the moment to have to ask for the room to be cleared to get to do so. He supposes that Laurent does have something of a point.

Standing, Faolan shifts to another keyboard once over that catches his eye. Pressing a key to test the touch again before taking a set on the bench and playing another few lines of music to test it out in action. Pausing after he's done so before looking back to Laurent.]

Maybe... We could have a music room then? If. That's alright with you, of course. [He's well aware that it's not his apartment. That he's not even paying rent there, to ask for a second room for his own purposes feels like he's demanding a lot that he might not be truly owed.]

It's mostly for soundproofing for recordings. Keeps the sound from coming in or out, dampens it from reverberation. I don't know that it's necessary, unless you're looking for me to start selling albums...

[Faolan quirks a smile at the younger man. The younger man who obviously knows nothing about any of this but is willing to spend money on it nonetheless. To give up rooms in his home. To listen to him play without complaint. To sit through Faolan's ranting on the topic whenever he might get carried away. All of it -- to make him happy.

Faolan's smile softens, and he turns on the bench towards the younger man, studying him silently for a moment before reaching out to him with a hand.]

Come here. [He asks, softly.]

[He huffs out the breath of a laugh in response to Laurent's gentle protesting.]

Tempting. Definitely tempting.

[Once Laurent has taken his hand Faolan closes his fingers around the younger man's, gently swiping his thumb over Laurent's knuckles as he smiles up at him softly.]

I... Thank you. For this. For all of it. For taking me here and arranging all of this for me, I... [He shakes his head.] It means a lot. And I...

[His eyes flick to the doorway, then down to the ground, before back up to Laurent with another, more private smile on his face as he continues, more quietly this time:] I don't suppose you might come closer still so that I can thank you properly...

[He really is too short to just tug Laurent down and hope for the best, especially since he is seated and Laurent is not, much as he may be fantasizing about doing exactly that.]

[Faolan tosses one more glance aside at the direction the shop keeper had disappeared, before turning in his seat to face him more easily.]

[He reaches for Laurent's hands, raising one of them to his lips to press a kiss to his knuckles.] Thank you.

[He leans in to tuck his face into the crook of Laurent's neck, breathing in the smell of his skin before turning his head to press a second kiss to the skin under his lips.] Thank you.

[He moves to pull back slightly. Reaching a hand to cup the side of Laurent's face and trace his thumb along the line of his jaw. Studying his expression for a long moment before smiling at him again and leaning in to press a third kiss against the younger man's lips, long and lingering.] Thank you.

[Faolan starts at the mention of the tea. The shop owner. It's only Laurent's (knowing) hand on his shoulder that keeps him in place, though it doesn't stop him from jerking in response to the realization that they are no longer alone. Pulling away enough for Laurent to take his tea from the other man before turning back to the keyboard in front of him, a healthy flush coloring his face.]

I'm. I'm working on it. It's all about the touch and the sound.

[He glances back at the shop keeper before back at the keyboard. Nope, definitely cannot face the man after that, not so soon after anyway.]

[Faolan glances aside at the younger man and tries to will himself to calm down enough to be able to explain what it is that he means.]

In a way, yes. But it's more than just the feel of it. Here...

[He presses a note on the keyboard in front of them.] A real piano has a mechanism attached to each key that lifts to strike the string to play a note. When you learn to play, your fingers get used to having to press that hard to press the key down and move the mechanisms. That's what they call weight. A lot of pianos have different weights to them, but a keyboard that doesn't doesn't have any weight to the keys feels artificial, and doesn't play well. But the way a keyboard feels is the weight. Touch is... [He casts his eyes to the side to make certain he hasn't lost Laurent yet.]

Touch is the way the keys respond to you? It's not only the difference in how loud or soft you're playing, but how briefly you press and release? Again, for a real piano, pressing the keys is supposed to control a mechanism to hit the strings the way you press the key. But there is no string to strike in a digital keyboard. And if the touch is off, it doesn't matter how good you are -- you're not going to be able to make a digital piano sound the way it should. It's like... The difference between chanting the lyrics of a song and singing them, yeah? The words are all there in the right rhythms, but there's something missing. If. That makes sense.

[He realizes that may have been more than Laurent was asking for, but. He did ask.]

[The corner of Faolan's lips quirk up in response to Laurent's words.]

Something like that. I suppose it is something to do with personal preference. But it's more than that. It's...

[He glances back at the shop keeper, really wishing he didn't have an audience for their conversation. Laurent obviously doesn't seem to mind himself though so after a moment, he pushes himself to stand and crosses to what is obviously the cheapest option set out.]

Here, come here and try this one. Tell me if you can feel any difference between it and the key you just pressed before.

[Faolan glances aside at the keyboard the shop keeper had indicated, before trailing his way over to it. Despite the fact that the man is a salesman, to have a shop like this he has to know a thing or two about his product... Pulling out the bench, he lays his hands on the keys, playing a note a few times before again picking through the opening line of a piece to test the response and sound of the keyboard.

He's right, of course. It's better than any of the others Faolan has picked at so far, both in terms of sound and response. It acts, feels, and sounds the way it should, and Faolan knows from that that it has to be expensive. He glances aside at Laurent, then down at the keys under his hands, trailing his fingers over them idly.]

It is quite nice...

[He leans his head back into Laurent's fingers in his hair, a brief tingle of electric energy running through his nerves at the touch before Laurent is moving to sit sedately at his side again. He forces himself to breathe, glancing aside at the younger man before nodding slightly in response to Laurent's reassurances.]

I'll keep it in mind.

[It's true that he doesn't want to rush the decision. He's going to have to do a lot more testing of the rest of these keyboards to make certain that this is the one though, and with Laurent joining him on the bench as he is, he's finding it increasingly difficult to keep rising and moving about to do so.]

I've narrowed it down a little, at least. I'm going to have to decide between a few models to determine which is the one that I like best... [He turns to offer Laurent a hesitant smile.] I'm sorry if this is all a little boring for you.