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 Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 3:35 pm
Dering's life felt like a snowball gathering size and speed and he wasn't sure if the roll was ever going to stop. He was terrified of crashing into something. After Urania, he'd been glad--albeit somewhat worried--to spend time on the Moon with his friends. He'd spent the night there, in part because he was exhausted and in part because he wanted to be there.
The Moon had a peaceful aura, and for all the stress he'd accumulated it felt like being there had squeezed out the tension he'd built up. They'd insisted he have some pizza, even though he'd claimed no appetite. Truthfully, he was hungry. He just couldn't chip in to help pay for it. They proved that wasn't a problem because they got extra and insisted he have some.
The pizza, he could resist. The breadsticks, he didn't have to. He didn't have to worry about cheese or dairy, although Amarynthos had commented that he'd never seen anyone resist pizza that smelled so good. If he had medicine, or if he wasn't spending the night there, he would have loved to try it. Maybe one day.
He shouldn't still be thinking about pizza, that was a few days ago. He and Reims had made plans to hang out, and Dering--as requested--brought his violin. His wrist was hurting but he knew that was entirely in his head.
He was just nervous.
Reims looked a little off when Dering had arrived, but he couldn't pin that on nerves or something else. It was enough that Dering gave him a curious, worried look, but Reims had only quickly ushered him to his Wonder.
Dering had never been anywhere but Lysithea, though he'd seen very little of her world. A bit of Stirling's Wonder, sure, but the most exposure he had anywhere was his own Wonder. He needed to visit more often, but even if he had he wouldn't have been prepared for Ganymede.
His lute was strapped to his back and he held his violin in one arm, and his other was hooked with Reims'. He had time to brace himself for the trip, and having Reims there reassured him that it would be fine. He was excited! He wanted to see the cathedral. Reims had asked him to play the violin, and though Dering was a bit nervous, he was just as excited, too.
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Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 6:13 pm
It felt as though too much had happened in too short of time. Reims felt as though his head was still spinning with what ifs and knowing that he didn’t know everything. He knew he could be walking into something that he regretted. He knew it could be dangerous.
But he was determined -- if he wanted to protect his friends, then what better way than to make sure no one on the enemy’s side touched them?
They’d visited the moon after Urania. There was a moment in which Reims thought he was going to be mauled by bears--
It turned out they only wanted the pizza crust that he’d had near where he was sleeping on the floor. It was surprisingly relaxing. A good change from the Chaos that they’d just experienced.
But then…
Do you, HONESTLY think that any of my friends or family have -ever- been touched?
The words -- that man’s voice -- kept swirling in his head. He couldn’t sleep the past couple nights. He was supposed to be meeting him again. To tell him his decision.
Reims could only imagine that if he declined his offer, that Zinkenite would have no issue with ending his life.
It was just turning Fall on Ganymede.
But even without looking outside (which they couldn’t since most of the broken windows seemed to have magically repaired themselves over the weeks and months Reims had been visiting and cleaning things up) the light shone through the colored glass, scattering brilliant reds and pinks and gold across the stone floor and columns.
What was going to happen to this place if he decided to abandon it…?
“Uh… so here we are,” he said rather dully as he gently released Dering and moved his hands to shove them into his pocket-- that didn’t exist. So he just awkwardly patted at his jacket and then crossed his arms over his chest.
“It’s not much. I mean, there’s probably more hiding that I haven’t really uncovered yet. And there’s more buildings attached. And a courtyard. But uh, I’ve been working on this place.”
Pews had been put back in their proper places. The floors had been swept. The various decorations had been dusted and put in what looked like relatively reasonable places, although Reims wasn’t convinced they were all the right places.
It didn’t look like a lot had been done, but the place was big.
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 1:00 am
“It’s not much?” Dering asked. His voice was little more than a whisper and he seemed in awe. His mouth was slightly agape and his eyes darted all over the cathedral, like he couldn’t figure out what he wanted to look at most. The light in the windows kept catching his attention, but he was just as quick to look at the window panes as he was the color that spilled across the ground they stood on.
He held his violin close and it must have brought him some comfort to have something small and equally inferior as himself; being here made him feel like he was a guest in some holy ground he was too unworthy to walk upon.
If Reims thought this wasn’t much, Dering could only imagine what he was trying to compare it to.
“I–”
He couldn’t find words. It took him almost a full minute to gather enough wits about him, and when he did he looked at Reims again with the same awe he did the rest of the Wonder. “It’s beautiful.”
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 6:04 pm
Okay, maybe it was a little more than not much. Comparatively, from what he’d seen of the Moon Wonders and Yvoire’s, he hadn’t really explored to see what else there was, outside of the main building.
The breathless compliment made his lip twitch. A smile he felt like he hadn’t managed to dredge up since his run in with Zinkenite.
And the promise he’d made.
“Evie’s -- oh, I mean. Yvoire’s Wonder is just across the river,” he shared, nodding in the direction his Wonder would have been. He wasn’t sure what he was allowed to share, but he could feel his ears burn with how awed Dering looked.
“Oh, uh, I thought it would be cool to hear what a violin sounded like. I mean, there’s already an echo from just talking. I bet it’d sound really pretty. Too bad I don’t know how to play an organ. It’s probably way out of tune, though,” he grimaced and nodded towards the large pipes against one of the walls.
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 6:35 pm
Dering couldn’t see outside, but he instinctively turned as if a window would have miraculously framed it for view. There was a wall in the way but it didn’t deter Dering, who returned his gaze to Reims almost instantly and with a renewed smile on his face.
“I’ll play for you.”
He didn’t sound confident but neither did he sound afraid. He could play, but playing well remained to be seen. “I’ll do my best. I really like this echo. It makes me want to yell.”
He paused briefly, and the whisper of his echo seemed to reach his ears. He smiled, only now a bit embarrassed. “Well, no. Not really. I don’t like my voice, I don’t want to hear it that loud. But I want to hear the echo.”
Once more, he tried to take in everything there was to see. He half turned on his heel, and while Dering always seemed to walk quietly, like he needed to tiptoe everywhere he went, this time he let his feet scuff on the ground a bit as he walked.
It made a quiet echo but it didn’t seem like he needed much to be impressed.
“I’ve never seen an organ that big, either. Have you pressed any of the keys, just to see?”
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 6:48 pm
“You don’t like your voice? You have a great voice,” Reims insisted with a laugh, again surprised that he could laugh. “I’m serious. It’s soothing. If you want to yell, you absolutely could. It’s just us here, anyway. You won’t bother anyone. I’ll yell with you if you need some backup,” he promised.
It was, dare he say, cute that Dering was so interested in everything. The way he glanced around, the way he scuffed his feet on the ground, the smile he had when he said he’d play for him.
This was what Reims wanted to protect. He wanted Dering and Yvoire and Rose and Cynthus and the others to have a good, happy life, free from the worry of the Negaverse trying to hurt them.
If he could guarantee their safety, then it was a no-brainer, right? He probably wouldn’t be able to have moments like this any more. He probably wouldn’t be able to get close to them without the risk of putting them in danger once more. But if he could work from the shadows…
“Ah… no, I haven’t. Do you want to? You can!” he insisted, walking along with Dering towards the organ. “I dusted it a little, but… I was worried about it sounding silly if I started playing it. I don’t know much about music.”
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 7:23 pm
Dering wasn’t looking at Reims when he made a face like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but it melted away quickly when the subject changed from not liking his voice to how sweet it was for Reims to offer to back him up.
Even with his support, Dering wasn’t sure if he’d have had the confidence to do it. He probably couldn’t have worked up the nerve to try if he was alone, either.
“Are you sure?” he asked, and took a few more tentative, light-footed steps towards the organ. He didn’t take a step that wasn’t accompanied by Reims. “I don’t know much about the organ, but if the keys still make sounds then I’m sure someone could tune it up. You, or maybe someone we know plays? I’ve heard Mauvians can fix ‘anything’ but I’ve never really met one so I can’t say for sure.”
But the organ was so big! He wanted to know what sounds it made, if it was like any of the ones he knew or if Ganymede had some magical, different taste in music.
“Do you think music sheets are the same on Ganymede as Earth?” he wondered, but maybe that was a silly thought. He clearly wanted to test the keys, but he waited once more for permission.
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 7:40 pm
“Never really met one either,” Reims admitted as he moved close to the organ keys and reached out to let his hand hover over them.
He could tell that Dering was waiting for him. It was sweet of him, but Reims didn’t think he needed to be quite so cautious. Then again, it wasn’t as though Reims didn’t understand.
“Would it help if we did it together?” he offered, letting his fingers rest on the keys, but he didn’t press down on them. “I bet Effie plays. He seems like a musical-artsy type. I doubt Cynthus would have the patience. Maybe I’ll learn the organ too, then I can accompany you while you played your violin,” he suggested, but nodded towards the keys, waiting for Dering to be ready to press with him.
Oh… but if he joined the Negaverse…
He supposed this would be the only chance to play any music with him.
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 8:04 pm
“I’d like that,” Dering said, and with the reassurance of Reims’ waiting hand, he chose a key, too. He didn’t try to brush any dust from it, but it was with obvious reverence and tenderness that he rested his finger atop the cool key.
“Whatever instrument you want to play, I mean. I don’t think I like playing alone. The spotlight is too bright, it makes me sick.” And there was no one in the audience to play to, anyway. He was happy being support in the back, hidden in a sea of other faces with more ambition and drive than he had.
He could play the violin after this. He couldn’t help his curiosity. Dering had no instruments, though he supposed his lute should count–even if he didn’t know how to play it and wasn’t sure he wanted to learn. Or rather, he did want to learn. He was afraid of doing it poorly. Starting new things was more difficult now than before. He wanted to stay small, wanted to be unobtrusive. His hobbies were so loud, so invasive. He didn’t want to get attached to anything he had to be ready to give up.
“On three?” he asked, but he was already holding his breath as if he thought it would enhance the silence and improve the sound of the organ.
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 8:17 pm
Being able to work together. That was important. Dering had good friends, Reims knew that. There were plenty to stick around and build up Dering’s confidence.
And maybe that was why, after a synchronized countdown and pressing of their respective keys, Reims took in a deep breath and did his best to sing out the note being played. It was basically just shouting as he stared up into the intricate stone arches.
The organ wasn’t really in tune. It was probably pretty badly out of tune, but Reims didn’t know any better. Dering said he wanted to yell, and while it probably wasn’t as pretty as Dering was imagining, the reverberating echoes throughout the cathedral was almost ethereal.
Even with Reim’s poor singing voice.
His ears burned but that was okay. This was probably the only chance he’d have to let Dering do this. He didn’t know what happened to Wonders after their Knights went to the Negaverse but… he couldn’t imagine being welcomed back with open arms.
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 8:46 pm
Though the noise first surprised Dering, a smile quickly replaced his confusion. He looked like he was ready to squirm in place, like something was eating him up, but before the low hum of the key he pressed could die away in an echo, he yelled with it.
If it could be called a yell. His voice was raised, and more in tune with the off-key note the organ made, but rather than speaking over the key, he seemed to try to hide his voice within the noise it made.
In the end, when he pulled his finger away, he laughed–and that echoed, too.
His face was red, and he raised a hand to cover his mouth as he tried to compose himself. “Sorry. I mean, thank you!”
He could still hear the echoes bouncing around the cathedral, and the whisper of his laugh along with them.
“It’s not too bad! That’s a pretty sound!” It wasn’t, but Dering was sincere when he said, “I like it, that’s so neat! Your Wonder is so cool, Reims.” A little spooky, but in the same way that anything so old could be. He wondered what memories were carved into the stone, and who had been here and what it was used for. He could feel the vibrations tingling in his bones–or maybe it was just his mind–but it all felt the same.
“I think this is the most beautiful building I’ve ever been in.”
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Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 7:54 am
When the notes from the organ faded and all they were left with was the sound of echoes, Reims laughed as well. Maybe even more so because he was pleased that Dering seemed to be enjoying himself as well. At least enough to indulge him!
“Thanks, I can’t take credit for any of it,” he laughed good naturedly at the compliment for the cathedral. “I was hoping one day I’d get to see it all cleaned up but--”
But this was probably the last time he would set foot in his Wonder.
He pressed his lips together and forced a smile, and then nodded towards the open area where the ceiling was raised to seemingly impossible heights.
“Want to try out your violin? Although I’m not sure you can top how pretty your laugh sounded.”
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Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:26 am
The smile wasn’t natural. It didn’t seem like it reached his eyes. It looked like a smile but it didn’t feel like one.
Or maybe Dering was already on edge. He was careful with the words he used, maybe more so than others, but that and the fact that Reims said he was hoping to see it cleaned up but–
But what? Mary and Effie wanted to see their Wonders cleaned up, and even if they looked so good already, they were still working on it. So why would Reims have a but?
Dering’s smile remained on his face, but it no longer reached his eyes, either. His brows knitted together in just the faintest shift of expression, and worry began to seep through.
Ordinarily, he would have been flustered by Reims telling him his laugh was pretty, or he might have hurried to pull out his violin in gratitude.
Instead, he was caught on that but.
“You’ll be able to see it all cleaned up,” he suggested, with only the faintest uncertainty in his voice. “I can help, if that’s what you’re worried about…”
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Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:27 am
Oh…? Dering didn’t go for the redirect? Reims knew he was observant. It was expected when you always had to be looking over your shoulder. Not that he knew much about Dering’s life outside of what they did as knights, but it wasn’t as though Reims shared anything about his life, either.
But there were things Dering had said before. The way he said them. The polite agreement, the shifting of conversations to something likely less uncomfortable. Reims could respect that, even though he knew it was likely because Dering didn’t want to talk about certain things in his life. They were friends, but Reims didn’t dare to consider himself close enough for Dering to share secrets with him.
He hadn’t felt close enough to share any of his own secrets either.
Well… maybe a little one… It was the least he could do since they would likely be separated from being able to hang out again. It was a shame, because he really had been looking forward to learning the violin.
Reims offered another smile, a bit brighter this time, still fake but hopefully more reassuring. He could lie. It would be easy.
“I might not be able to,” he said as gently as possible. He could hear the uncertainty in Dering’s voice, and the worry in his expression. “I was thinking… I’d really like to make sure you or any of our friends wouldn’t ever have to worry about your starseeds being in danger. We only barely got to help your friend, but… if there was a way to guarantee that not happening again, that would be a good thing, wouldn’t it? Anyway, it might mean I can’t come back here.”
It was casual enough. No need to make a big deal about it. Besides, it was better that they were all safe than cleaning up some old building.
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Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:33 am
Dering was watching for the lie, waiting for it. The muscles on Reims’ face relaxed too much. There hadn’t been surprise or confusion in between, just a perfect shift of an almost-smile to a more convincing one. He knew Dering was watching him so he made the transition seamless.
When he spoke, it didn’t sound like a lie, so Dering remained on edge, waiting for it to sneak in while his guard was down.
The violin felt weightless in his arms, forgotten.
Dering didn’t understand what Reims was saying. The idea of being safe sounded good, but something in his gut had started to twist uncomfortably.
The silence stretched for a long moment, like Dering was maybe willing to wait it out to see if the weight of it could convince Reims to say more. Dering crumbled first.
His voice was quiet, closer to a whisper. The silence was heavy and it was all he could manage. “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t you be able to come back?”
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