GoldenCat/SweetMelody
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Sweet Melody
They stand in a beautiful room in the Theater of Falling Dusk...
Alexander Holysword, his chaperone and savior, Cael Pattonna, the Windwraith, Anne Pattonna, his adopted daughter...
...there with the God of the Theather and leader of the Seven Sages, Falling Dusk, and his companion, Goddess of Music from Whiteshield, Lowyn Innocent-Eyes, also known as Sweet Melody...
... to meet a fateful pair. Alexsei Krauser and his wife, Ryshassa.
A great window shows the lands close to the Theather, two great mounts in the far distance, already fading with it, and a principle of snow falling over the window... and on a table, steaming hot tea, coffee and two kinds of chocolate stand in tables amidst many blankets in fiery colors, the tables and recipients in the black diamond of the mountain. A few desserts stand there as well.
Falling Dusk: "Well then, now that introductions are done... please, if you all could get comfortable... I believe we have the time to get acquainted, even with the pace things have been running." He smiles, waiting for them to get comfortable before he does...
Anne:Anne relaxes visibly, smiling at Ryshassa and nodding, feeling a little more accepted there...
Ryshassa returns Cael's gesture with satisfaction and some surprise -- though she was born in the Realm, Gethamane had become her home, and to have that acknowledged in even a subtle way pleases her. "I hope my initial reaction did not seem too guarded," she adds, laughing softly as her smile alights her violet eyes, a slight blush tinging her delicately pale cheeks. "I simply did not know quite how to react to one of such... reputation. But truly, your contributions so far, as I know of them, have been nothing but commendable. And impeccable manners always serves one well, in my opinion."
She winks, surreptitiously, before stepping back to join her husband's side, nodding to the god as he speaks, wondering silently how many of such beings she will consort with regularly as she emerges from the relative peace of her life at home. **
Alexsei: Aknowledgeing Cael's statement, Alexsei nods quietly. "Indeed, and as long as those like you that still hold the flame of hope, all is not lost. It is a blessing for us to find some that will not let the North be torn apart by those that would rend it asunder... I have word of your resounding successes, and I must admit I am humbled by your accomplishments. I am sure I speak both for me and Ryshassa when I say it is an honor to join forces with you, and see what help we can bring to your cause."
Slowly, he turns his gaze to Alex, his eyes filled with the sorrow of one whose trade is to see the departed to the Other Side. "It may sound appropriate, Prince Alexander, but might I ask... I understand it is a difficult matter in times of war, but should no ceremony has been held to see the souls of your people safely to Lethe... I will be happy to perform it at your request."
He nods, a gentle smile forming on his features, but his eyes still reflecting mourning and sorrow.
Alexander: "I have done so already, Alexsei. What... makes me a little relieved. I have seen them use ghosts, and I can only imagine what my sister had to suffer before..." He falls quiet then, noticing he is saying pehaps a bit too much, "But I did so only with the power the sun has granted me, as I did to the Celebrant's army. But if you are studied in those matters I imagine you can do so better than me..."
"... And when this finish, I hope I can give them a proper funeral, if not for their souls sent to Lethe, at least for their memory."
Alexsei: "A worthy request, majesty, and one I understand perfectly. Just know that I will remain at your disposition to perform, whenever you wish to hold such an event."
"But I think we can talk about these grim matters more in a little bit. For now, perhaps we should sit and enjoy what our gracious hosts have prepared for us. You must be quite tired, my lords and lady."
Cael: Cael nods to Ryshyssa as she laughs, pleased he seemed to have set her at ease , his face still filled with a soft, sunlit smile "Ah, my reputation proceeds me as always ... I fully understand the reason for your hesitance and of course it pleases me that you are willing to see beyond that."
"And yes, a little food would suit right about now."
He sits himself easily in one of the chairs looking out at the falling snow, treating Anne to another ressauring sign, checking to see that she is handling all these new people as well as she can.
Alexander: "Could someone get me a little of the hot chocolate? Oh, and a piece of that cake?" He asks, sitting down, checking the table... steaming hot tea, coffee, and chocolate, some desserts, a few fruits of the station, like strawberries and jambos, to break the sugar a little... a nice nobleman's dessert.
Falling Dusk: Falling Dusk sits down with them, the burning stars on his black diamond flesh seeming to echoate the walls of the Theather... enjoying their talk, waiting, as a good host, for a moment where he has to connect any of them. "Of course!" He says, gesturing for one of his servants, one of the humans there, to serve Alex. "And what would you wish, Anne?" He smiles at the girl, whom he was sure wouldn't ask anything for herself...
Ryshassa nods in agreement at Cael's statement, sneaking a speculative, almost... greedy eye towards the dessert table. She takes her seat, arranging her purple-hued kimono carefully, the Caduceus hovering placidly beside her chair.
"Oh, I would enjoy some hot chocolate, as well... and perhaps a slice of cheesecake, with some strawberries." A dreamy expression crosses her face, though she remains otherwise calm and composed. Not quite enough sweets, in Gethamane...
Anne: "Oh?" She is caught unware, lost in other thoughts, mostly enjoying the sights, before looking back at Falling Dusk, and thinking... "A-a cup of tea, please... and some peaches. And one of those cookies, please..."
Cael: "Some tea for me as well please", he asks of the young woman who comes to serve Anne, "and the cake does look rather good."
He shifts a little in his seat to get himself comfortable, shrugging out of his coat and moving that across the arm, shimmers of orichalcum visible on his wrists.
Ryshassa: Ryshassa smiles reassuringly at Anne, her thoughts traveling back in time to her own youth in the Realm, when she knew nothing of the power she would come to call her own. But in her family, such bashfulness was seen as weakness, and without her Exaltation she was little more than a slave... It is good to see that Anne is well appreciated by her companions and our hosts.
Alexsei smiles, amused at his wife's visible apetite for the wonderful sweets prepared for them. Noticing poor Anne, who still loked like she could drop down from embarassement any moment, he nods and smiles at her.
"I imagine this must be a lot to take in for you, lady Anne. I assure you, however, that we are all sitting here as friends, and that as long as you share our paths, you should consider us as such..."
It is a humbling feeling to feel so small, and I know how you feel, dear child. I was once an ignorant young boy standing among gods in the splendor of Yu-Shan, striving to find my place...
"...I would be happy to be referred to as such, if you would consider me so, in any case."
Sweet Melody: The food is served to them, as, in melodic footsteps, Lowyn Innocent-Eyes steps in the room. "Some that tea for me please, dearies. It is good for the voice."
Every step of hers is music, every waving of her hair. A lyre stays on her hand as she sits down with them, "You know, I do not remember you looking so lovely before, little Alex... Exaltation has done you good. Won't you become a handsome man..."
Anne: Anne brightens, looking up at Alexsei, nodding. "A... friend? I will, then! Do you know how to fold paper?"
Alexsei: "Well..." Alexsei starts, gazing away in thought, "Laisdach, my mentor, tried to tech me a bit of origami, of which he was particularly fond of. I am merely a biginner, however, though I might know a basic fold or two."
Cael: Cael smiles in Annes direction, and at Alexsei and Ryshy over her head, evidently well pleased at how they are treating her.
He sips at his tea as Lowyn sits, nodding vaguely to acknowledge her comment, as he watches Alexsei and Anne.
Alexander: Alexander blushes, almost choking on his cake. "Er, hmmm, thanks, lady Melody, my thanks..."
"Hmmm, eh... so, what brought you two here, Alexsei, Ryshassa...? They said Scythe called you, but... what did you do, before? Why did you come?" He asks, trying desperately not to look at Lowyn. A little more, and there would be enough blood on his face to paralyse the rest of his body.
Anne: "Yes, Origami! I know how to do many of them... three kinds of birds! And to draw some symbols too!" She proclaims, proud. "Cael used them to destroy the blood-monster-woman.... the ones I did!"
Ryshassa: Ryshassa takes her first bite of cheesecake, savoring it slowly as it melts in her mouth. The entrance of Melody distracts her somewhat from the experience, though, as her mind once again attempts to figure out exactly how to react to a god walking in her presence. The others seem particularly casual with these beings, though, so she does her best to remain the same. What time she spent accompaning Alexsei to Yu Shan was much the same, really -- she had no business with the gods, in general, so kept mostly silent in their presence unless addressed.
She turns her attention to the young prince, instead, whose fair cheeks seem to have gained quite a bit of color since Lowyn's arrival. "I spent the good part of a decade working as a healer in Gethamane, while my husband worked as a funeral priest. We are both caretakers at heart, you could say... I tended to the living, he to the newly dead. And besides the extremes in climate, of course, which lead to many a health complication, Gethamane is prone to attracting many a foolhardy adventurer who dares to plunder its depths... So we rarely ever lacked in work. Especially not... recently." The healer's lips purse slightly as she recalls the recent battle that precluded their arrival at Mount Dusk.
Alexsei: "Why then, you might be able to continue where my master has left off. And it is a good thing to see you have been useful to sir Cael and his Majesty... I am certain they are proud to have you on their side." He smiles at her, before turning his attention to Alexander and Ryshassa.
"The turmoils in the North are growing with each passing day, and it is impossible to ignore such a threat... Especially when we are among those who can help." Rubbing his chin a moment, he nods slightly before continuing. "Ryshassa has awakened as a chosen of the Unconquered Sun, just like you and sir Cael... Hmm, a decade ago. I have acted somewhat as her guide throughout the process, if you will. I like to believe I can have some use in your quest as one knowledgeable in the First Age, but time will tell if it holds true."
Sweet Melody: "I speak only the truth, fair prince. My, I am surprised you have not heard it much until now..." She teases, taking a sip of her tea, eyes closed in a mostly ladylike manner - lips curled in mystery, eyes innocent as a child's.
"Using paper birds, is it? Now, you have to give me details of it later, Cael... this will be a beautiful song."
Cael: "Just Cael, please. I hold no title." he says with a small smile to Alexsei. "But I would be grateful for guidance you can give, especially in some areas ... things have been a litlte disconcerting in parts, not that this is topic for discussion here."
And not until I know you better
"Of course, sweet Melody, I will relay the tale to you later if you wish ..." he says with a smile to the goddess, a briefly chiding look in his eyes as he says it for her behavior towards the Prince. Not that he could entirely blame her, he was thinking the same at times ...
Alexander: "The... First Age?"
Something clicks within him. The memories...
The shackles for heaven.
Silver mates.
Golden blade to the behemoth of ghost flame.
Needing the golde blade.
The birth of the dark blade. Of Moon's Shadow.
He.
Who
Holds.
Fighting a lady of translucent wings, in blows that tore Creation apart...
He... pehaps he knows of it? He can... explain all of it?
"That... that is really interesting, Alexsei!"
Ryshassa: Ryshassa rests her hand on her husband's arm, rubbing it fondly for a moment, before turning her attention back to the dessert at hand. She sips on her chocolate, closing her eyes as it warms her throat, and slides another bit of cheesecake topped with strawberry into her mouth.
"A song?" she muses, almost without thinking. "Music would be an excellent addition to our repast..."
Sweet Melody: "And you are wonderfully skilled in this, my dear. I can see by your hands, by your soul." She smiles to Ryshassa, "I would love to hear you, Ryshassa."
Alexsei: Bowing his head to Melody, Alexsei grabs a cup of tea that he brings to his lips before adressing her in a courteous voice. "Thank you kindly for your hospitability, milady. Me and my wife have been treated as gods since we arrived here, so I think some thanks are in order.
Turning his head back to the young prince, Alexsei smiles at the heir's interest in the First Age. For a moment, he feels serene, at peace - in his element.
So many times have people thought I was a dreary scholar... Perhaps now all these years spent in books and scrolls will be put to use in a satisfying manner.
"Why yes, your majesty... I would like to think knowledege might come in handy in this war. Again, I reamin at your disposition should the need arise. And if it is not on a matter I am immediately familiar with, I would be more than happy to conduct the necessary research."
Ryshassa: "And yes, Prince Alexander, my husband has guided me well these past several years. I was... you will understand... a very disconcerted child when I first felt myself... changed. I would not be alive if not for his intervention in the Realm..." She lets her voice trail, not particularly desiring to speak in detail of those darker days. "It is a wonderful feeling, though, to know that you have at your disposal the potential to make real your greatest of hopes... after living many a year as a slave to the desire of others."
To the goddess, she lowers her head respectfully, and smiles. "I am honored by your recognition. Perhaps I will play during our stay, if it pleases you, my lady." She feels a twinge of nervousness, though, that fluttering in her stomach that precedes most every performance she has made since her youth.
Sweet Melody: "And why not now? As soon as you finish, my dear? To make this occasion of meeting more special... music would be the right way! Especially played by a chosen such as yourself..."
Alexander: "I... I would request this of you, Alexsei. I need to clear some facts that have been troubling me... so if we can talk about this more later... or have you research so, I would be in your debt. Sometimes, I feel the key to all of this is locked in our memories..."
... a slave to the desire of others
He remembers the little he saw of the Vestal, the little Moon had told him of her... and looks at Ryshassa with sympathy. "Indeed, Exaltation is a wonderful moment. I just wish I had gotten it in a better situation..."
I imagine if it isn't the same with you...
Alexsei: Alexsei gazes at Alexander, his violet eyes shimmering slightly. "Then it will be an honor to fullfill that request, my prince, at the appropriate time." A soft smile plays on his lips, and he bows his head slightly before turning to Ryshassa, smiling at the invitation she received from the goddess.
"Why, I think This would be a good time to hear you play, belladonna." **
Cael: Memories, yes, that is certainly what is bothering me.
"I would like to speak with you later about memories, too. And about how things once were." he says with a small nod, before he turns to smile to Ryshyssa.
"I would certainly not be adverse to hearing you play now, not at all."
Ryshassa: "Unfortunately," Ryshassa says with a touch of wry regret, "we cannot really choose when Exaltation comes upon us..."
The healer leans back in her seat, savoring the last few bites of her dessert, enjoying the sweet, succulent strawberries one by one. She laughs softly at Alexsei's urging at the goddess' suggestion, giving him a gentle nudge with her elbow. "Oh, I see what side you're on," she accuses, her eyes twinkling merrily. "And you too, Cael? Well, then... I need but a moment to prepare..."
She drains the rest of her chocolate in one long draught, now that it has cooled slightly over the conversation. Then she straightens, and excuses herself with a short but stately bow, choosing a place some ways away from the tables to begin the process of tuning and tending to her lyre. Her staff floats alongside her obediently, a slender sentinel of orichalcum.
Alexsei: Alexsei nods slowly, his expression switching slightly in contemplation. His eyes turn to the Caduceus, floating idly by Ryshassa's side as she prepares to perform for the assembled guests. Not so long ago, he had guided her, fueled by her flashes of awakening memory and his own knowledge in the past, through the tomb in Sijan where rested the remnants of the one that was her - her previous incarnation, beckoning to her, leading her to the orichalcum staff she herself had created, another time, another when.
Now, it was whispering to her, secrets of a past long forgotten, of a life long past... And , looking at the others, assembled here, he cannot help but muse - what were they, in the life before this one? Were they allies, firends, bitter enemies? Could they have been gathered like this, once, only to fade and forget, caught in the great wheel of life and death, their essence unaware of their past incarna?
Have we come this way before? A thousand years ago?
Ryshassa: Ryshassa lifts her lyre reverently from its case, its willow-and-orichalcum surface lacquered over in white and inlaid with twining belladonna vines in amethyst and malachite. The instrument holds a depth of meaning to her, for it is music that brought her out of a silence of many months, when Alexsei first brought her to his home in Gethamane. Gently, patiently, she wipes down its surface with a chamois cloth before plucking at the strings one by one, humming with the resonance of each harmonic.
Then, a deep breath. Her fingers are poised on the strings, and her eyes drift over her small, gathered audience, gods and Exalts and the mortal girl, Anne, seemingly out of place but meshing well within the lives of such favored strands, favored in her own right by their fondness and caring of her. She plays a sparing but nonetheless poignant intro, a series of sustained, well-placed notes that lay down a soothing blanket for the lyrics that flow from her lips, achingly, wistfully.
"I wish I could promise
I'll be there when you dream"
Then her fingers grace over the strings, coaxing out deftly layered glissandos, emphasizing the first note of each measure of what seems to be a haunting, yet stirring waltz that evokes memories of an innocence prematurely lost.
"I wish that when you spoke to me
I'd know what you mean"
"But you can't bring me comfort
By filling up my eyes
They won't stay dry
Hard as I try
Can't figure why
Made I this choice..."
Anne: She has no words.
None, none at all!
Moved, moved beyond everything....
She just stood there, a vacant smile on her face, wholly lost in music....
Cael: And then the music stops.
It was utterly silent after it did, Cael hearing nothing except the beating of his own heart as he started to do the little things ... like breathe once more.
"That ..." he starts, very softly after a few moments in the aftermath ... he trails off again, not sure about what to say ...
"That was ..." he fails again, still not entirely sure quite sure how to describe what he felt, what that performance was.
"That was simply wonderful." he says after another pause "I cannot put into words how to describe it beyond that. Thank you."
Alexander: The prince of Whiteshield watches with a smile. Taken by the music. Taken by the beauty.
A feeling like when he met Anne, just... more.
This is worth fighting for.
This... this beauty...
This is what we have to bring to the world.
"Thank you, Rysshassa.... thank you..." He finally says.... softly... shaking himself out of the reverie.
Alexsei: Alexsei sits, speechless, until the very last note has faded, and the room seems to come alive once more. Pride swells in his chest, as he is moved on to tears...
You have come so far, Ryshassa... Now, you shine on your own.
He rubs her arm gently, choosing to give an emphatic nod, struggling to find the proper words to give justice to his thoughts...
"Thank you, Ryshassa. This was... breathtaking."
Sweet Melody: The music goddess gets up, walking up to Ryshassa... a pleased smile on her face. Every footstep echoes on the floor with Ryshassa's music. Every movement of her's seems to enhance the music, to savor it, making it taste on their lips, giving a scent of Belladonnas to the room, sending the music for the whole of the theather.
The taste of your music, the scent of your musical soul...
And they all deserve to hear.
She walks up to Rysshassa, touching her lyre. "I have not heard something so breathtaking in years, Ryshassa. I will be watching you, blessed of music." She whispers, speaking still on the same tune as her music...
Ryshassa: Ryshassa closes her eyes for a long moment as the performance sweeps her into its thrall. Though the lyrics are simple, her deliverance of them is earnest and deeply personal, as if these are words meant to be whispered in the comfort of a lover's embrace. Perhaps they have been, at one point...
When the last note rings true and fades into awestruck silence, Ryshassa finds herself surrounded by stunned gazes and sincere thanks, and she can do nothing but smile softly and bow, cradling the lyre close to her heart. "I should be the one to be thankful," she murmurs, her eyes meeting every one of theirs, "for listening so earnestly."
She does not flinch back when Lowyn's hand brushes her instrument, knowing without a doubt that she holds the same respect for such aural beauty as she does. It only seems... right, that the two of them be drawn to one another...
She bows again, more deeply, to the goddess's acknowledgement of her.
"If you believe me deserving of such respect, I can only accept. Thank you. Thank you all."
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