Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 62: Intent

I laid my bow back onto the strings, trying again. I drew out a few faster notes this time, the sound making me remember my high-octane runs through the Clarwood Forest. My mind fell into that near-feral state of mind I had pulled over myself in those days; how I had been barely surviving, each moment a step away from death. I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end as I fully immersed myself in those past experiences.

And then I pushed them outward, releasing them like a held breath. For a long moment, the sound mana in the air thrummed with captured meaning. But once again, it faltered, the intent winking out under the weight of my concentration.

I felt like I was missing something. It was like a word on the tip of my tongue, deftly avoiding any attempt at remembrance. Or maybe a vague sense of deja vu, the inexplicable feeling that you had felt this before; knew the situation. But you could not remember how or why.

I opened my eyes at last, suppressing a bit of consternation. I was surprised to see Greahd there, watching me with wide eyes. Her mousy brown hair had a bit of sweat matting it from all the work she had done to set up this New Year's Festival despite the cold.

"What was that?" she asked breathily, her eyes trained on my violin. "I feel it now. Goosebumps trail my skin, and not from the cold. I feel as if I've been running for miles but in an instant."

I slowly lowered the instrument, smiling softly. "It's something I've been working on," I said. "A future for my music. Maybe for all music?" I asked myself wonderingly.

"Oh, what a future that would be," Greahd said, our shared passion for the art allowing her to see the possibilities. "If you get a chance, though, do you want to help me with some more of our preparations? We have some heavy beams that need moving, and a mage would be much appreciated."

I nodded, gently setting my violin into its metal case as if it were a child. I closed the case, then stashed it in my dimension ring. "Lead the way, Greahd," I said, stretching out a few kinks in my back.

The woman smiled gently, leading the way. She chatted with a few people along the way who approached her, giving them warm looks and advice.

"There are few in the world as genuine as this woman," Lady Dawn said somberly. The Unseen World still dampened my vision and senses, but I'd learned to filter past many of those distractions. "It is a wonder she remains so kind."

I think... I think her kindness is a rarity in any world, I thought back, nodding to a larger worker as he consulted Greahd on preparations. He nervously returned the nod, but he didn't avert his gaze as so many had before. Progress.

"I have found that such people burn themselves out," the phoenix said somberly. It seemed these gatherings made her as introspective as I. "They give and give and give until there is nothing left. Like the lifeforce in your chest can only give so much."

"Things are better now," Greahd said suddenly, interrupting the slight nosedive my thoughts had taken. "I don't think the actions of the Rats are wise or sustainable long term," she said, turning to me slightly. "But after what you did with the Joans, things have been better."

"It's not all that simple," I said slowly, thinking of the Doctrination. "But the people seem happier than when I first was here. But it's so... nervous," I said, trying to find a word for the strange energy in the air.

Greahd sighed, a puff of air misting in the cold. "This is the first time in many, many years that things have started to change for these people," the woman said. She gestured at the young boys running around the fires again, causing people to stumble and utter muffled curses. I would've never guessed they had a fight a few minutes ago. "Benny and Haelen haven't been able to play like this in ages," she said sadly. "But now they can run about without fear that they'll be grabbed by blithe addicts or cutthroats. The Rats' presence had added a layer of security to this place that never existed before." She paused. "And their parents watch. They wonder if this will last. They dare to hope, but hope is dangerous."