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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Feb 2, 2023 1:06:13 GMT -5
It's a stormy evening at chateau Storm-Lumen, as many evenings are in Sky Peak Village. Besides distant rumbling, things are quiet. Blue Raspberry is out on their own adventures, and Astrid's been relaxing and working away on projects during her time at home. With Melodia's help, she and Cantio have found an easier way to keep in touch and make sure they're both home at the same time. After all, spending time together is one of their favorite shared activities.
Most of the time, they cook or draw together, or Astrid listens to Cantio play the violin while she works on her Super Secret Projects. Of course, she has many of these secret projects, and several of them she gave to Veliky only recently to pass her test. Those she would at least talk about in some small capacity, usually dumbing it down to avoid overwhelming Cantio. Her most recent project, however, is a secret under lock and key. Whatever it is, it's very special.
This evening, the project was making dinner together, which they finished, and now they're enjoying the fruits of their labors - or, really the vegetables and meats of their labors. It's a full swath laid out on the table for the two of them. It is mostly for Astrid, but while she still eats quite a lot, her intake per meal has settled down since living with Cantio. A consistent meal schedule means she hasn't felt the need to overstuff herself and wonder when she might eat again. Now she eats the same amount, but it's spread out throughout the day and a bit more manageable for the tiefling.
Their idle chatter is interrupted by an especially loud crack of thunder - one that shakes the entire house. The walls rattle, and there's a low hum from the basement. Astrid's eyes go wide, and she freezes mid-bite. She's been waiting for this moment!
Suddenly bolting from the table, Astrid beelines for the door to the basement. "The forge is supercharged!! Finally!" She flings the door open and rushes downstairs. "Sorry, da! Gotta take advantage of it!" her voice calls as she descends into the darkness. In no time at all, blue light flickers from below.
There's a long moment of stunned quiet, and Cantio's date seems to now be an empty chair. Then a familiar elven woman manifests in Astrid's spot. She wears an amused, soft expression on her face, her eyes having followed Astrid's path away.
"So full of life, that one," Melodia says, a chuckle behind her words. "Sometimes I wonder how you keep up with her."
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Feb 3, 2023 13:01:46 GMT -5
The thunder rumbles up above; and the rain patters ceaselessly far above the quaint but generous chateau of the Storm-Lumen household. After a day’s worth of fussing about with chores, practice, and meals, Cantio has settled down at the dinner table with Astrid. Blue is gone today, as he’s been told; which means they’ve had to make significantly less… but still a pretty sizeable spread for Astrid at least. Slowly but surely, he’s come to grow used to the sounds of the Dragon’s Cradle’s storms; though they had caused him some anxiety at first, honestly, what didn’t? Cantio takes an absent-minded bite of steamed vegetables while he listens to Astrid’s prattling— and in fact, he almost doesn’t notice the storm until the thunder shakes the house itself. Cantio jumps, tail flicking nervously as he looks towards the windows; and then he hears a clatter as Astrid jumps up from her chair. “ Huh? Astrid—?” He calls after her; she yells back that the forge is supercharged and he has no idea what that means, but he supposes it’s important for one of her ‘Super Secret Projects’ that she’s been giving Veliky. “ Just be careful! I’ll take care of cleaning up, then! I'll put your leftovers in the icebox if you want them!” he calls after her; he waits anxiously as the blue lights down in the basement start to flicker and illuminate, before slowly turning back to the empty table. The tiefling breathes a little sigh, stabbing at his food with his utensils and looking absently across the table— when Melodia manifests across from him. Bang!“Oh gods— Melodia! Sorry, I’m still not used to that…” Cantio winces after dropping his utensils and smacking his knees on the underside of the table; he offers Melodia a sheepish smile and laughs under his breath, face flushed. “Uh, well, to be honest I’m not sure if I even do that very well...” he chuckles; he sits up straight in his chair, looking over his shoulder at the basement, before looking back at the elven woman with furrowed brows. “But it’s good that she’s so excited; it means she loves what she’s doing, and I like seeing her happy, so... I'd hate to slow her down.”
He breathes a little, exasperated sigh. "Whatever she's working on down there must be important for her to leave even a portion of her food untouched." His tail flicks idly, then he looks at Melodia. "Do you know what she's working on? Something else for Veliky?"
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Feb 3, 2023 14:49:03 GMT -5
The table rattles when Cantio startles, and Melodia pulls back a little, startled herself by his surprise. In the hanging awkward moment, she can't help softly giggling at the jumpy tiefling. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she says, airy laughter in her voice. Her gaze draws back toward the basement door for a moment. "I still can't quite manifest on my own. Astrid thought I should keep you company."
She sets an ethereal elbow on the table, leaning on it as if she were physical, though this is only a facsimile of true presence. Her hair lazily floats around her as if she were a maiden underwater, and she looks to Cantio again, the same amused smile on her face. "I think you keep up quite well for someone who accepted fatherhood on a dare. Especially of a rambunctious girl like that." Melodia's eyes draw down to look at the spread of dinner on the table. Quite the meal for only two. It is amazing to see Cantio keeping up with feeding her. "It's quite incredible, really."
"If anything, I think you do the opposite of slow her down," she says, resting her face in her hand and looking to the tiefling again. Even in his shaken anxiety, he's really quite beautiful. The way the light catches the planes of his face, how his eyes always seem to sparkle. Perhaps that's aided by the makeup, though he never does wear much of it when he's at home, does he?
"Oh, yes," Melodia says in a teasingly haughty voice, nodding along. "It's very important. Look at the leftovers you'll have to pack up!" Another laugh escapes her, bell-like, ethereal. "I have an idea of what it is, buuut I promised not to say anything."
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Feb 3, 2023 17:03:03 GMT -5
“Oh— no, you’re fine!” Cantio stumbles to assure her; he smiles sheepishly, scooting the vegetables around his plate once he’s recovered his composure. Melodia’s laughter echoes like a song in the quiet of their dining room. He’s not sure if Veliky has half an inkling about acoustics, but the entire house seems to have pockets where the acoustics are perfect— the dining room being one of them.
“She called you just for that?” he remarks, putting a hand over his chest; that’s… really heartwarming, actually. Astrid has a tendency to be fast-paced in contrast to his leisurely one, but she never forgets to think about the ones she’s leaving behind in her rush to get things done; it’s one of the few things he’s noticed about the girl over his time spent with her.
He chuckles, tail swaying idly while Melodia speaks; embarrassed at the mention of the dare, he clears his throat. “Ah, well… that’s…” Cantio waves his hands in a slight dismissive gesture at the mention. He smiles sheepishly when he lowers his hands to the table, and twiddles his fingers together. “I guess it’s not the most common path to fatherhood…” he admits, “...and incredible is a strong word, but... that really means a lot coming from you.”
He’s certainly not a stranger to Melodia’s story; she has an infinite amount of experience with children compared to his… well… complete lack thereof. He looks sheepishly over his shoulder, tail curling around the leg of his chair. “I hope so… I don’t want to suffocate her… but I still want her to be safe.” His tail uncoils from the leg, swishing anxiously as he looks back at Melodia with a blink.
Is she making fun of him?
It kinda sounds like she’s making fun of him.
Still, Cantio can’t help but smile and laugh; he feels so in-eloquent in her presence. Melodia’s sharp elven features and elven glow make her look more like an angel than a ghost; her gaze always soft and watchful. “Fine... fine! Keep your secrets.” he sighs dramatically; the bard slouches in his chair, raising a hand delicately to feign the poise of a fainted maiden. “I suppose I’ll just never know.”
He peeks one eye open at Melodia, a goofy smile on his face as he pulls himself back into his seat and straightens his posture; after a second however, his expression fades. He looks across the table at Melodia, brows furrowed sheepishly. “Oh… but… while you’re here Melodia, I had a question I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
He’s nervous about this question for some reason; it shows in the way the tiefling’s tail flicks back and forth like a metronome. “Do… Do you think there will ever come a time when you’ll be able to manifest on your own?” he asks, “Because it’d be nice to see you around more often.” He smiles, and then blinks a few times, face flushing as he clarifies, “I— uh, I mean you’re a part of the family just as much as the rest of us! I know it takes a lot out of you, but…” he trails off, seemingly unsure where to go from there.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Feb 4, 2023 2:33:05 GMT -5
Melodia hums a little while her words draw from her lips. "Yes, she did," she says, her eyes cutting over toward him as if not actually watching him. “I think she didn’t want you to feel left behind.” It’s a simple reasoning, and one that’s in line with Astrid’s usual line of thinking.
From everything she knows, Cantio and Astrid's relationship has certainly been an odd one, to put it simply. "I think incredible is a perfectly suitable word. To have only met twice and taken on the responsibility of caring for a girl you barely knew, that's admirable if nothing else." Melodia's hand falls away from her face as she chuckles, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of the situations they seemed to find themselves in.
Still, for him to think it means much coming from her... It's a nice sentiment. Melodia can't exactly recall all the details of her life before her death, and she doesn't recall her death at all - probably for the best. What she does remember is seeing children adopted by families who would love them as their own. Cantio's done the same -though without all the same processes- and to her, that says a lot, especially after all the trouble she's seen Astrid get into.
At first she followed Astrid to see the children she watched over in the abandoned orphanage get to safety. She really doubted that a child and an ooze would make the trip safely. Sure, they needed her guidance, but overall, they did it on their own, and the children Melodia spent so much time caring for found a new home with someone who could really provide for them. During that time, she'd heard Astrid mention Cantio; mostly, the girl fretted that she hadn't heard from him nor knew how to contact them. The surprise they all met being kidnapped by Veliky and gifted a house... Well, that was something else, wasn't it?
In the time she's known Cantio, she's recognized some of his nervous tendencies - they remind her of the children who had memories of home they preferred to forget. Cantio doesn't speak of his family though, and she wonders if he accepted Astrid so easily not only because he cared about her, but because he felt some loneliness. The two of them may not speak of it often, but they both long to belong.
"You don't suffocate her," Melodia insists, her brow furrowing in concern over the suggestion. To her, it's obvious that he and Astrid absolutely adore each other, so it's odd to watch him fret so anxiously over something she'd think wasn't an issue. "If anything, you invigorate her. You're supportive and kind. You listen to her babbling, and even if you don’t understand, you still give her your undivided attention. You..." She trails off into a chuckle and gestures at the remnants of the meal before them. "You work away in a kitchen to feed her seemingly insatiable appetite. She always speaks of you fondly and asks after you often when she’s away. The girl absolutely adores you. She worries after you, too.”
Melodia pauses, realizing she’s gotten a little too worked up trying to convince Cantio that he’s a good parental figure, especially for someone who had no prior experience to her knowledge. He’s a good man and a kind person. Those things should be recognized.
“She does her best to be safe,” she says with a bit of a sigh. “Things can be difficult out there on the road. When she’s feeling poorly, she’ll call on me for comfort. I’m happy to provide it. I often worry she’ll get in over her head, and a few times she has… but she’ll always come home to you. It’s important to her.” Melodia’s eyes meet Cantio’s with a stern, motherly stare - the kind that says what she speaks is truth and her authority on the matter won’t be challenged.
But the gaze quickly softens, and her eyes drift away almost sheepishly. How could she look at him that way? Cantio isn’t a child that needs to be scolded. He’s just someone who needs to be reminded that he’s loved. If she knows anything, it’s that he is adored, and she quite likes his company too, though he doesn’t call on her too often - probably out of some perception that it’s an inconvenience.
So when he asks if she’d be able to manifest on her own, she looks right at him with eyebrows arched slightly in surprise. He sounds so nervous in asking, and to watch him fumble over his explanations… She can’t help a smile tugging at one corner of her mouth. Her fingers come up to brush strands of hair behind her ear. Is she… Well, she’s also feeling quite sheepish now. It’s hard to keep her gaze meeting his, but he seems to be struggling in the same way.
“Um, Cantio, dear, you’re able to call upon me whenever you wish,” she manages to say. Usually, Cantio calls on her so he can check on Astrid, but she finds that she likes his company, too. She supposes she wouldn’t mind if he summoned her more often. Melodia finds her eyes cutting back and forth between Cantio and some other corner of the house, her own nervous energy flickering in her free floating strands of hair.
Finally, she sighs and folds her hands in her lap, her eyes low and melancholy. “I’d love to manifest on my own more often. If I could be a constant presence then… Well, I likely would if you’d all have me. I quite like being…an odd part of this admittedly odd little family. I appreciate your sentiments. Genuinely.” With her last words, she looks to him again, a small smile on her face.
But she feels the magic Astrid used to manifest herself fading. Her fingers start to go first, and the apparition raises her hand above the table to look at it dissolving from existence. So this is the end of their conversation. The smile on her face grows sad again. “It seems this is the extent of my presence here for now…” Her form begins to fade, and her ethereal voice echoes. “It’s been a lovely conversation, Cantio. Thank you.”
The embrace of familiar darkness wraps its arms around her and pulls her from the material plane. When the last of her vision threatens to fade, she’s suddenly whisked back to the dining table once again. There’s surprise on her face. Did Astrid feel her fade and resummon her immediately? No, she doesn’t think so. Not with the look on Cantio’s face.
“O-Oh?”
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Feb 9, 2023 23:30:14 GMT -5
Cantio blinks a few times, his already red complexion deepening over her compliments. “O-oh, well… thank you.” he chuckles, turning the utensil he’s holding sheepishly between his fingers only to drop it on the table. It clatters noisily for a brief second before he slaps it against the table, hushing the sound of the racket with an expression that is more embarrassed than his last.
This is good. This is going great.
He subtly pushes the utensil away so he won’t cause another racket and places his nervous hands on top of one another with a sheepish chuckle. “I… I really hope not.” he admits; one of his greatest fears, after all, is turning out too closely to his own parents. He finally found joy in the violin after leaving home; but he was smothered by the pressure for too many years before he scraped up the gall to leave… he would hate to see something similar happen to Astrid.
Melodia’s insistence puts a sheepish smile on his face; and he can’t help but laugh when she brings up Astrid’s appetite. “I adore her too,” he responds fondly; his tail flicks back and forth restlessly, but his smile is warm. “Thanks, Melodia… I just… I don’t have a lot of experience with kids, you know? I never even thought I’d have kids...” He seems sheepish to admit it, “But I wouldn’t trade being Astrid’s father for the world… or Blue Raspberry’s, either… I just don’t want to mess things up.”
He chuckles good naturedly with a hand over his mouth, his golden eyes soft as he turns them away from the ethereal woman before him. His smile softens around the corners of his lips, but doesn’t quite fade. “I know she does… I’ve been on the road for a long time myself, and I’ve…” he trails off, looking at Melodia with a tilt of his head. “Well, I’ve been in a few problems, myself… some of them I almost didn’t make it out of.” He shrugs sheepishly, folding his hands together again. “I really appreciate you being able to be there for her; and I know Astrid appreciates it, too.”
He seems to hesitate a bit when Melodia meets his gaze; and he smiles shyly when she looks away. “I know she will. I’ll be here waiting for her everytime.” he agrees, tail swaying sheepishly. It’s not until Melodia points out that he can call upon her anytime that he feels the flutter of nervousness in his chest again.
“W-well, yeah, I know that!” he agrees, “I just mean… y’know, it would be nice if you could come and go as you wanted…” he trails off, rubbing the back of his neck. He peeks at the elven woman, watching her brush strands of hair behind her ears— her gaze low and almost just as sheepish as his own.
She really is very pretty, isn’t she?
When Melodia speaks again; he blinks. She has that tone in her voice— the one she uses when the spell is starting to wear off…
He looks after the elven woman, brows furrowing slightly as she bids him a farewell.
…
Except, she doesn’t leave.
Golden butterflies flutter about Melodia when she returns to the table; speckles of light drift about them like starlight; all remnants from the spell Cantio had cast to keep her on the material plane for just a little bit longer. He blinks when she meets his eyes— the determined look on his face transitioning into something more mellow and shy.
“I— er— sorry...” he apologizes, lowering his hand to rest on the table again. “I didn’t want you to leave just yet.” There’s a small pocket of silence in which Cantio’s complexion darkens.
“But— uh— this is what I mean, you know? It would be nice to be able to talk to you properly without being on a time limit.” He offers Melodia a sheepish smile, but there’s a melancholy in his golden eyes. “How long have you been with us now…? And we barely get to spend any time with you past the spell itself… You’re part of our odd little family. Why wouldn’t we want to have you around more consistently?”
He breathes a little sigh, twirling a strand of his crimson hair while he looks down at the table, and then looks back at her. “Is there anything that we could do to help you manifest on your own? You do so much for us, and Astrid looks at you like…” he trails off, “...like a mother.” His voice comes out soft as he finishes.
“I think she’d like to spend more time with you just as much as I would. We only get to talk now and then, but... I think it'd be nice to get to know you better.”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Feb 12, 2023 17:23:25 GMT -5
It's not often that Cantio has an element of fierce determination on his face. With the butterflies of light fluttering and shimmering around her, Melodia is caught up watching their little floating motes of light reflecting in Cantio's golden gaze. In some aspects, it feels very much like a sunrise of sorts. If she were alive, she might feel a flush about her cheeks. The butterflies feel very fitting as they slowly fade away, but the warmth their light brings to the moment between them feels as magical as they are while they last.
"O-Oh, that's quite alright," she finally says. "I enjoy being in your company." Hopefully, that doesn't sound like she's implying anything more than what she means on the surface. Right? "I suppose I've been with Astrid for a few months now... She's made it a pretty regular habit to call on me. In all honesty, your little family... Well, it's certainly interesting, and I..." Melodia's eyes fall, looking at the table and her hands fidgeting just below it. "I wish I could be around more often by my own power. It took quite a lot of effort to manifest in the old orphanage. Since that was a place I was so attached to, it made it a bit easier, I suppose..."
Her eyes draw up to look at Cantio again, and she watches his fingers twirl in his hair. He's anxious too, isn't he? What reason do either of them have to feel anxious? They're two adults having a conversation about a girl they both care for. When he mentions how Astrid thinks of her, there's a little bit of pain in her expression. Sorrow, even.
"You know... she's slipped up a couple of times," she says softly. There's some hesitation in her voice. "She always corrects herself quickly, and she's embarrassed about it when she realizes what she's said or nearly said. I've put together that she's an orphan, but she's never mentioned to me what happened to her parents. I'm curious, but it's not something I'd ever ask of her. Dredging up those kinds of memories can bring a lot of pain to children, and she seems perfectly happy to move forward. She certainly seems less melancholy now that she knows you'll always be here for her."
"After things settled and that Veliky woman gifted the two of you this house, Astrid was quite anxious to leave again. I think she worries even if she tries not to. You've done well to really earn her trust. She leaves confidently and returns without worry. I'm just here to help however I can..."
Melodia looks to Cantio again, her eyes catching his. "I'd be happy to get to know you better, too."
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Feb 12, 2023 22:27:28 GMT -5
Cantio clears his throat a bit awkwardly, his expression is soft yet embarrassed when Melodia mentions that she enjoys being in his company. Whether that’s true or not (and he hopes it is true) he’s simply glad to have her forgiveness for the sudden callback to the material plane… he doesn’t know what it feels like for her, but he hopes it’s not something terribly uneasy.
“Right… the orphanage.” he remarks softly, his golden eyes tilting upwards to follow the sparkling fade of a butterfly. “Was it the orphanage, or… maybe there was something in the orphanage that could make it easier?” he wonders, then hesitates. “I mean, you don’t… have to answer, I just…” He breathes a sigh, brows furrowing softly while he tries to figure out how to word what he wants to say.
He doesn’t want to bring up anything that might upset her— but it’s hard to know when he hasn’t been able to speak to her all that much to know. He blinks, looking up at her when she mentions Astrid’s slipped up a couple of times. “Oh?” he muses, eyes softening when she explains exactly what’s happened. “She’s…” he trails off; he’s not about to tell Melodia what he knows about her parents without Astrid’s permission; the time temple had showed him some things, but not all.
He shakes his head sadly.
“I think she appreciates you giving her that space… she likes you a lot.” he murmurs, tail flicking back and forth; he smiles sheepishly when Melodia mentions Astrid’s confidence. “She deserves that much; to go out there and do what she loves without having to worry about whether anyone will be here to welcome her home.”
He looks over his shoulder towards the flickering lights of the basement, then looks back to Melodia— he catches her pale eyes— full of emotions despite her nature as a spirit. He feels the heat rising to his face, and he breathes a sheepish laugh; like a bad habit, there’s a sudden unraveling sound; and Cantio covers the lower half of his face with a crimson and gold paper fan. “Same— I mean— I already said that so you know it, but…”
A second passes before he realizes he even has his fan out; and he clears his throat as he unfolds it. “Uh, I mean… None of us really think that you’re just here to help, you know? We’re a weird family, but… that’s not a bad thing. There’s a lot of love and happiness here, and we’d just like you to be a part of it.”
Is that cheesy?
That’s probably cheesy.
Cantio stifles a sigh, looking embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I feel like I just keep going around in circles? I’m sure you know all of this already— for a minstrel, you’d think I’d be better at talking.” he laughs, trying to lighten his own mood. “But, um… Astrid and I can always call you, we know that— but if by chance we find some way to help you manifest more often, is that… would you be okay with that?”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Feb 14, 2023 19:15:01 GMT -5
Watching Cantio unfold the fan and hide behind it like an anxious child hiding behind their favorite toy makes Melodia chuckle. “You and that fan of yours…” she says, gently teasing him with a smile and a small shake of her head. He’s really quite fascinating; the way his tail sways and gives away some of what he’s feeling; the somehow even deeper red that plays about his cheeks behind the fan… She’d dare to call it cute if she knew for sure it wouldn’t insult him.
It is certainly cute to watch him fumble over his realization that he’s hiding from her behind it. Astrid wasn’t kidding when she said he has stage fright. His socially anxious tendencies aren’t unfamiliar to Melodia. She’s seen these behaviors before from others, and she knows that sometimes it just requires a bit of practice and confidence to overcome them. And reassurance.
“You don’t have to hide from me, you know,” Melodia says. One of her hands finds its way out from under the table and reaches over to rest over his. It’s ethereal, translucent, and feels like a block of ice is hovering an inch from Cantio’s skin. “At least, I hope you can feel comfortable around me in time. I know my presence is a bit odd and usually expected, but if we’re to find a way for me to manifest more often on my own… Well, I’d hate to catch you off guard and make you anxious in your safe space at home.”
She realizes she’s moved her hand over his and pulls it back slowly, as if she didn’t mean to do that. “S-Sorry,” she says through an equally nervous chuckle, letting the moment settle with her eyes averted. Could he misconstrue it as anything more than a comforting gesture? He’s been flushed and embarrassed, and if she were alive, she might have a deep blush across her pallid face as well. Where Cantio’s tail gives away his emotions, Melodia’s elven ears emote with her, try as she might to hide it on her face.
“For a minstrel, I think you do a fine job speaking,” she finally says as if it isn’t a delayed comment nearly out of place amongst the silence. “But your performance art shines when you play the violin. It’s obvious this is what you’re passionate about. You and Astrid both get quite enveloped in the things you love.” Her eyes glance toward the open basement door then at him. “For both of you, your hobbies and your family are things you happily and enthusiastically dive into.”
Melodia’s hands find their way back into her lap, and her gaze follows a line up the wall and to the ceiling while her face seems thoughtful as she thinks about what helped her manifest at the orphanage. Was it simply the place? A place she was quite attached to in life? Could this be a home place to be attached to? Or was there an object?
“The music box, perhaps…?” she mumbles.
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Mar 5, 2023 21:25:22 GMT -5
“H-huh?” Cantio stumbles as he closes his fan; his tail flicks back and forth; a sheepish smile crossing his face as he sets it down, “Force of habit.” He jokes softly, but he can’t quite meet her eyes; real nice. He clears his throat, balling his fist in front of his lips, as he crosses one hand over the other on the surface of the table.
He has to admit, he feels a bit bad about being so jittery in front of Melodia; in truth, he’s not terribly scared of her the way he might have been when they first met. She has her own sort of elegance and mystique to her; and though he felt a bit awkward around her at first, she most definitely cares for Astrid and Blue as much as he does. She reaches out, sending a chill from Cantio’s palm to the base of his shoulder; it’s a strange sensation. He smiles sheepishly, turning the palm of his hand to face hers, when she suddenly pulls away with an apology.
He flusters, clearing his throat as he and waves his hand dismissively. “No! No, it’s okay; and you don’t make me nervous anymore.” Oh, shit— wait. “I mean— ugh.” Cantio hangs his head a bit, twirling a lock of hair anxiously when he looks up again. “Sorry; you don’t make me nervous. You're a part of the family, and a good friend— I mean, if I was worried about any of that, I wouldn’t be having this conversation, you know?” He remarks, “You’re a big part of why I feel so safe at home; I never have to worry about Astrid as long as you’re able to keep an eye on her, too.”
His tail swishes, thumping between the prongs on the back of his chair during the silence that follows; until Melodia speaks again. The bard blinks, and he smiles warmly and appreciatively at her. “… Thank you.” He remarks hesitantly. “You know there was a time I hated the violin?” There’s a soft laugh that follows the comment, but he doesn’t elaborate— too taken aback by her next words.
“Huh? The music box?” He echoes, tilting his head at Melodia. “What about a music box…?”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Mar 13, 2023 23:25:07 GMT -5
“Anymore?” Melodia echoes, stifling a small giggle that chimes like that of a songbird in the morning. Her hand comes up to cover her lips with the tips of her fingers to muffle it as if it would do anything to mask the sound of her ethereal voice. It seems they’re both floundering in their own ways. "I never mean to make you nervous, dear." The pet name falls off her lips as naturally as any other words do. Nothing about it seems out of place.
As her fingers fall away from her lips, trailing along her chin as they do, her hand comes to rest above her bosom, just on her chest below her collarbones. It’s a gesture Cantio himself does often, and she doesn’t mean to mimic it, but… Well, these things happen when you watch someone for a while, don’t they?
While Cantio makes his corrections, her smile reflects his as warmly as the smile of a dead woman can be. What folds of skin might wrinkle around her eyes were she here in the flesh? How old might she be? What color were her eyes or hair? What shade of skin? Everything about her now is a pale blue, transparent, only an image of her old existence.
“It’s hard to believe a time like that existed,” she says. Of course, Melodia is curious to know about that time, but like she would never pry Astrid for more information, she won’t do the same to Cantio either. If he wants to tell her about it, she’s happy to listen. “Whatever hurdles you overcame, I’m happy you’ve found your love for it again.”
When she realizes she murmured about the music box, she looks at him. “Oh, it’s nothing, I think,” she says. But it isn't nothing. Something eats at her, claws at the edge of her memories. The music box meant something, but she can't recall the details. “There was a music box in the old orphanage I remember fondly. I think it’s why I quite enjoy listening to you play violin. The music soothed the children, and I found it calming for myself as well. I can’t remember the last time I saw it or even used it though…”
It must have been when she was alive. A little lullaby to help the children sleep. Something she could wind up and set down and let the children drift off to sleep, sometimes running her hand through their hair, trying to be a source of comfort for them, to hum along with it. Without realizing it, she hums the tune, trying her hardest to remember how it goes.
Little do either of them realize, the lightning flashing against the walls of the stairwell ceased as Astrid's work completed, and now the girl is hiding just out of sight down the stairs spying on the situation. She doesn't get to see Cantio and Melodia on their own very often, and she's glad they seem to be getting along well. Really well. Music box, huh? Well, Astrid knows exactly where that orphanage is...
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Mar 16, 2023 22:12:02 GMT -5
“W-well—” Cantio purses his lips as Melodia’s giggle, song-like and airy, fills the dimly lit dining room; he can hear the pattering of rain overhead as they sit together, her ethereal voice filling the silence. “I know, I’m just—” He swirls his hand in a circular motion looking for the right word, but ultimately ends up with, ”—y'know, like that.”
He seems to grimace a bit at himself after finishing his sentence, but Melodia’s warmth brings him back to ease. He rubs sheepishly at his shoulder, his smile weak but present when she speaks about what he’d said. “Ah, yeah; me too. It’s hard to believe for me even now that I’m here.” He laughs sheepishly, golden eyes sparkling with intrigue when Melodia explains the music box. “Well, it must be something if it’s something that you spoke of?” He prompts, trying to ease her into continuing.
He blinks, face darkening a shade when she admits she enjoyed the music box, and enjoys his playing as a result; but a music box… Cantio is admittedly not a smart man, but surely the music box has something to do with Melodia considering what he’s been talking about? Although, he’ll have to figure out where her orphanage is either from her, or… well, from Astrid.
He tucks it away for later, folding his hands over one another while he listens to Melodia hum the remnants of a tune from her memory; and having been so engulfed in the musical arts as he had been, Cantio listens closely to each note. He taps a foot beneath the table, creating a rhythmic thrumming in time with Melodia’s attempt to recreate the song from the music box; he nods his head slightly, searching for a similar tune in his own memory— something popular enough that might have been crafted lovingly into a music box for children…
“Ah!” Cantio perks up, taking up his silverware like a pair of drumsticks, he taps out Melodia’s rhythm in clinks against the ceramic dishware left on the table, humming the pitch alongside the sound while he taps out the rhythm. After a moment, he halts, looking up at Melodia for confirmation. “Something like that, maybe? It’s called Lunala’s Lullaby; I remember a trinket shop that had a music box like that in Sol City; I don't know how many they made, it might be too recent of a piece for what you're remembering, but... it's a pretty old lullaby.”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Mar 17, 2023 23:22:33 GMT -5
Melodia’s shoulders lift and fall, a sort of shrug though the smile remains on her face. “It’s alright that you’re ‘just like that,’ you know,” she says, throwing his words back at him as if the conversation were a game of catch for the two of them. It’s been pleasant. It isn’t often that the two of them get to just chat, and she finds herself hoping that it might become a more common thing. "We like that about you."
As she hums the tune, or at least what she can remember of it, Cantio joins in. The little clinks to set the rhythm, his voice joining hers. This… feels nice. They both come to a stop and look at each other, and her eyes light up. “Yes! I think that was it!” she says with a bright smile. But then she reigns herself in quickly, realizing she’s gotten a bit too excited. Melodia seems a bit embarrassed as she brushes spectral threads of hair behind her elven ear. Her voice comes much softer this time, more of its usual cadence except for a slight stutter as she collects herself. “Y-Yes… That was it. I quite like that song…”
Welp, Astrid’s decided she’ll go find that music box in the half-sunken orphanage. She doesn’t particularly want to interrupt their conversation, happy to see the two of them getting along well, so she quietly slips back down the stairs and shouts as if she’s just now finished instead of spending the last few minutes spying on them. “It’s done!” she shouts then stomps loudly up the stairs with a box in her hands.
“Oh, that was quick,” Melodia says. She moves to get out of Astrid’s empty seat, but Astrid walks up to the table and sits in the chair directly beside Cantio instead of across from him. Her head tilts curiously as Astrid sets a small box on the table in front of her, stares long and hard at it as if she’s suddenly gotten very nervous, and then suddenly slides it in front of Cantio without another word. Melodia exchanges a confused glance with Cantio, but she doesn’t interrupt.
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Mar 18, 2023 17:38:55 GMT -5
He can’t help but laugh gleefully at Melodia’s excitement; warmth blooms in his chest, a tiny flutter of butterflies, as Melodia tucks spectral threads back behind her ears after her outburst. It’s a bit too late, however— and Cantio knows to some degree that this song really means something to her. “It’s a really lovely piece.” Cantio agrees; its his turn to smile warmly, unfazed by the slight inconsistency in Melodia’s attitude— in fact, he has to wonder why she doesn’t allow it more often. "It was one of the first real pieces that I learned to play after learning all of the basics."
Her excitement is almost contagious; and as pretty as her small smiles can be, there's something heart-warming about her when she beams.
"It's a simple rhythm, but..." And then a shout up the stairs distracts him fully, and Cantio jumps in his seat. He drops his silverware, letting it clack loudly against the ceramic plates, and clears his throat with an embarrassed glance towards Melodia— before he turns around to see Astrid stomping her way up the stairs. “Oh! You finished already?” He remarks, nodding his agreement with Melodia as Astrid plops into the chair beside him.
He blinks, tilting his head at her when he notices the box.
“…Well? How’d it turn out?” He prompts, tail swaying curiously as he waits for Astrid’s report. He swivels in his chair to face her. “How’d the supercharged forge fare with your proj— eh?”
She slides the box in front of him.
Cantio blinks, looking down at the box with a quizzical expression. He shares a confused glance with Melodia, before looking back at Astrid. “Astrid?”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Mar 18, 2023 18:10:35 GMT -5
Astrid’s hands fidget in her lap a little bit, and she struggles to meet Cantio’s eyes. Why is she so nervous? It’s just Cantio. It’s just her dad. She has no reason to be nervous. It’s just… Well, why the heck would she think it’s embarrassing to give her dad a present? She robbed his parents for crying out loud!
“Um… Open it,” she manages to say, the little pointy tips on her ears turning a shade of red. Her eyes cut over to watch him anxiously as he carefully unhooks the metal clasp and opens the box. Inside, on a fine red cushion sits a pair of earrings. At first, it seems like they’re each a golden flower with a silver stem, but closer inspection reveals that they’re actually a golden sun with a silver bolt of lightning jutting from the bottom.
Astrid’s hands fidget more under the table while she waits for his reaction. “I um… Was gonna make a pair fer each of us, but… I could only make one. So they’re fer ya. A um…" Her voice drops low, embarrassed. "A gift fer Hearth Day…” Their first one together. The first one she's ever been excited for. Cantio took her in on a whim, and he's so important to her. She just wanted to make him something that shows her appreciation for him, and since they both wear earrings, she thought that would be the best thing.
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