Chapter 37: The Melody
"Thank you, we had fun! Come back next time, and we'll play again!" The boy and girl waved the group off as they ran back home satisfied. Damien, Krista, and Dante, however, were left tired just trying to keep up with all their mischief, but Damien, in particular, felt he had at least done something right. Hadn't felt that way for quite some time.
"I'm starting to feel like you're ," Krista whispered to Damien.
"I'm not trying to fight against prejudice in Stellar if that's what you're thinking," he whispered back, "I'm not the type to place myself on a pedestal like that. I just don't like the way they talk to you."
"Well, it's nice to have someone looking out for me," said Krista as she raised a fist to Damien.
"Anytime," Damien answered back as his fist met hers.
As they walked through the cityscape, they found that the kids were not a one time thing. Adults, elderly, sometimes even pets would stop them in their tracks and have them engage in various, the best way to put it, improvised plays. The kids had them play hero, Cleo played a goddess, Phive played the role of a sleeping prince, someone even approached Raven to have him play a statue. No one accepted no for an answer, citing that it was Borealis, so they had to participate. That is to say, it was a trial to pass through the streets.
"I can't be the only person getting tired here," Jikan complained, "Next person to call me 'sir purple' is getting one right between their eyes."
"I'm finding this to be quite fun," Cleo argued, "Borealis only happens twice a year, I'm so glad we managed to make it."
"It's just not the same for us Green," Shix countered referring to Cleo with the color of her mask, another custom of Borealis, "All you're getting is a bunch of creeps barely able to form a sentence around you, while the rest of us are left with the eccentrics looking for some new 'faces' to practice their acting on."
"This is… a holiday, sis," Phive interjected, "Everyone here is just trying to have some fun."
"I do find the whole situation a bit… petrifying," Dmitri added, "I'm just glad no one has attempted to interact with me. Though I believe that I should be thanking Damien- or rather Rainbow for that. Wherever a yellow mask is needed, they seem to prefer you instead of myself."
Damien walked while supported by Krista. Being Rainbow, someone with multiple affinities, made him a pristine target when it came to the Aurorans celebrating Borealis. The acts the Aurorans wanted to participate in became more and more complicated with the addition of wattiez into their acts. Borealis called for dual acts, usually no more than a trio, so those with multiple affinities made the more elaborate acts possible, which, in turn, made Damien all the more valuable.
"I've got maybe two more of these before I pass out from wither, alright," Damien breathed heavily. "Though, I think it would be best if we made it to wherever we're going, before that happens."
"Would you like a massage as we walked," asked Amelia
"Please do Orange," he answered back."
"I think you can hold off, we're here," said Dante.
In front of the group of 12 stood a relatively small building. No more than two stories tall, it was a fairly modest place. The building, possibly a brilliant white in it's past had browned due to the hail of sand and the passage of time. The insides were neatly lined with beautiful pieces of art and strange symbols decorated the walls, no, only closer inspection they were music notes, forming some song that Damien hummed in his head, a familiar song.
They paid a small fee to enter inside, and within found more people, specifically children. Very young children and adults taking care of them. A daycare possible, somewhere parents could leave their kids while they went off to enjoy Borealis. Though, even inside, the staff were all adorned in a visage. The children seemed to be split off between different sections that focused on music, acting, gymnastics, writing, and more. Each kid finding a place to be or moving to a different section whenever they got bored.
"Simply wonderful!" Cleo exclaimed, "Dante, we must simply come back here once we have some little ones of our own. I'd love to see them try some acting."
"Putting aside the fact that your attempted seductions of Dante will never succeed," Raven started while eyeing Cleo, "Whatever spawn you produce will assuredly be as incompetent as you."
"Can we not right now?" Dante pleaded to his friends, "We'll probably find Blue somewhere in here, most likely near the music section. There are some free instruments if anyone knows how to play. Join me for a duet, I play a mean saxophone."
Damien was going to ignore Dante, but beside him was a violin. A dark, wooden brown instrument, it reminded him of the one he used to play as a child. He couldn't help himself but pick it up.
"You play?" Krista asked him.
"A bit, and a while ago; My Grandma taught me before she passed. That is to say playing one brings some troubled memories… at least I have those," Damien answered as he took the bow to the strings. It made a horrible screeching sound, "A long while ago, I guess, still a bit rusty."
Yet, as he played more, the tune started to match what he imagined it should. He played simple songs, "The Journey to Journey," "Torrential Nights," "Six nation's war," stuff he learned as a child before progressing to more advanced melodies.
"I haven't heard these before, are they…" began Amelia. Luckily, she cut herself off before she finished her sentence asking if these songs were from his homeland.
"They are, hold on, I'll play my favorite melody for you," Damien said as he prepared himself to play the Moonlit Knight, "It's something my grandma used to sing for my mother before she sang it as a lullaby to me. Albeit poorly."
Light that persists even in the dead of night
A Twinkle, a Sparkle, a Shining Twilight
The greatest hero of our land
The Moonlit Knight and their band
That wasn't Damien singing. It was the song, the song of his childhood, but it was coming from somewhere else. A woman's voice deeper into the music section of the building. Damien found himself walking towards the voice.
The Moonlit knight had no face
Covered by iron they left no trace
Why they hid no one did know
But in just three words their character showed
A pale skinned woman with long, curled, hazel brown hair. She wore a blue visage on her face and was very petite. She gave off the air of a proper lady as she sat on a small wooden chair surrounded by a bunch of children and an old woman. In her hands was a small blue violin, one that matched the faint blue aura that weakly appeared around her body.
In guile
Our hero was unlike the rest
Tricky and unique they loved to jest
Through not power did they show their strength
But with a mind full of the courage to go against fate
Her singing was measured and pleasant, far unlike how his mother sang it. It was a wholly different experience, but all the same Damien found himself, unconsciously, moving his bow over the strings of his own violin. Matching her pace and joined along with his own playing. With her eyes still closed, she tilted her head towards where Damien was but continued playing, though a bit softer now.
In relentlessness
Did they never stop
To achieve their dreams to reach the top
It did not matter what obstacles they faced
They fought on and on until they earned their place
Then Damien found it in himself to join her in singing these final lines. As he sang, he realized that he wasn't too much better than his own mother, but he didn't care. He found himself enjoying the experience.
In struggle
10 years did past
In loss, in triumph, they would last
Regardless of whatever they might endeavor
The Moonlit Knight never surrendered
Their duet came to an end, and Damien found himself awash in a wave of emotions, remorse, fulfilment, sadness, happiness, regret, and thankfulness, just to name a few. It was almost more than he could handle as Damien fell to his back when his legs failed to support him.
Several of the kids gathered around the prone Damien neat bursting with excitement, "Rainbow, that was so good!"
"Play again! Please!"
"Please Rainbow, we want to hear you and the lady play again."
The kids were gathering around Damien and pulling on his clothes to force him up, all wanting to hear him play with the woman in the blue visage again.
"Sorry little ones, that was a one time duet; I don't think I have another one in me" Even hearing that, the children wouldn't let up. Each one adamant for an encore, "If anyone cares to help me, now would be a good time!"
The woman stood up from her chair and grabbed onto a cane lying near her feet. She cautiously motioned herself towards the small group of children and placed a hand on a few of their heads, "Mr. Rainbow and I are quite tired right now, so why don't you go watch the actors? I hear that they're getting the trampolines ready." It was faint, but that blue aura from before appeared around her again.
"Okay!" cried all the kids before they scampered off.
"It's good to see everybody again," The woman in the blue visage said with a pleasantly soft voice, "If I'm not mistaken, you're about three days late. Might I inquire as to why?" There was a hint of venom in her voice poorly masked by the polite way she spoke.
"Right, that's on me Melody, needed a few extra days of rest," Dante said as he worriedly rubbed the back of his head. "Though, I need to ask, is it safe for me to assume that the mission's accomplished?"
Melody slowly nodded, and the malice seemed to leave her speech, "I will forgive you this time because I found myself enjoying my time here, besides the time I've spent with my parents, also refer to me as Blue. It's Borealis, after all. Now, who was it that joined me in my song, I'm not familiar with their voice."
"Yes, that would be Krisha, Amelia, Matilda, and Darius, the one who made your song a duet," Dante answered, "They'll be accompanying us for the duration of our journey back to Soaring Sun. They're prospective members from the Laborers Guild back in New Dawn. Watch out for Darius, though, he's not too keen on our outfit."
"Is that so?" asked Melody with a soft voice.
"I promise to keep on my best behavior," answered Damien sarcastically.
"Then, they're not Hunters?" Melody asked, "I was sure you'd go for members from there, the Researchers, or at least the Financers considering our funds. To choose Laborers, they must be very special. Darius, do you have an interest in music?"
"First time I played in a couple of years," Damien answered pleasantly due to feeling a strong sense of nostalgia. "I'd actually like to ask you where you learned that song."
Before she could answer, an elderly woman wearing an orange and green mask motioned herself behind Melody. She had been there with the kids listening in to Melody's singing but had gone relatively unnoticed until now.
"Is Mr. Blank here the Dante Guile I've heard so much about?" she asked as she outstretched her arm, "If so, then I'd very much like to shake his hand."
He immediately took it, "Charmed Ms. Rainbow."
The elderly woman took off her mask, revealing a gentle, solemn face, "Naisha, Borealis will be coming to an end soon. May I have the pleasure of looking upon your face? All of your faces if you would."
Dante complied and removed his mask along with everyone else except Melody and another small girl wearing a red mask who stood next to her. Damien, Krista, and Amelia were unsure of where this girl came from, but she seemed well acquainted with Melody. Even hiding behind Melody when she noticed the three's gaze on her.
"Chief Naisha, the pleasure would be all mine, rather, has Melody explained the nature of our visit?" inquired Dante
"For Viola's coronation?" Naisha started, "Yes, and I must say that Melody really opened my eyes. Pharaoh Aveline was quite the benevolent ruler, if only she left us an heir… No matter, the past is the past and all we can do is move forward, Better Viola than those bastard bunch of brothers Atticus, Valorn, or Vitellus."
Dante eyed Melody suspiciously, "I'm just going to assume those are your own words, but besides that, I can assume we will be seeing you there?"
"Of course, I'll be the first to show up."
Finished with their business with Chief Naisha, the group decided to leave, there was still a large journey ahead, and they wanted to get started. Strangely enough, it was Melody who most wanted to leave.
When they walked the grounds, she retained her visage, her and that small girl as if they both wanted to remain unseen. By now, it wasn't just them, but everyone still walking about who had removed their visage. Leaving those two to be the odd ones out, yet they happily conversed with one another, just out of earshot of Damien.
"Who is that girl?" whispered Krista to Damien.
"No idea, I was about to ask you the same thing," He responded, "I have noticed something a bit off about her though."
The girl was dressed similarly to Raven, A long, dark blue, hooded overcoat that covered her body and hung past her arms and the visage that completely covered her face. For her bottom, a long dress that not only covered her legs, but her feet too. In truth, she kept herself more hidden than even Raven, almost unconsciously avoiding any gaze that fell on her.
Though it was none of that that bothered Damien, it was something he only got a small glance off when the moon shined bright enough that he could see into her hood and at her neck, hair… No not just hair, more like fur.
Before Krista could ask what Damien had found off about the girl, Dante found himself being stopped by two large men at the border. The burly men were suited and stood next to one another in a professional manner. They almost looked like twins short of one of them being shaved bald.
"Ms. Rudemyers, your parents would prefer if you didn't leave Aurora," The shaved one said, "At least not tonight."
Raven stepped forward to remove the obstacles in their path, but Dante stopped him, and looked towards Melody instead, "I thought you said the mission was a success? Your parents were a part of the mission."
"Why did you think I so easily forgave you?" she responded snidely.
"Your friends here are also welcome into the manor," the bald one said, "For the night at least."
Dante closed his fist, tight enough that it was shaking, but he relented, "After you gentlemen, we wouldn't want to keep the Rudemyers waiting now, would we?"