Chapter 769: …Has a Tendency to Linger
Draigo let out a deep sigh after revealing to Mrs.Faithsong the reason for his staring, his constant gazing at the crowd before him. And in return, the matron of the tavern couldn’t help but look at the man with a hint of relatable sadness in her eyes.
Nothing made one more sympathetic to another’s plights and woes, other then having experienced that same pain, after all. A part of her wanted to try and comfort this fellow widower by any means necessary…but another part of her felt that it was wrong to do so.
“Well, it doesn’t matter right now though,” Draigo said as he mentally prepared himself to play another night while opening the case to one of his instruments.
“Right now, I got a show to put on.”
“Not using your shamisen for tonight? Are you trying something new?”
“Something…old, actually. I used to play this in private in order to practice this one song.”
“What’s it about?”
“You’ll understand when you hear it.”
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*Bing-Bong*
As a reminder, the kaijin known as Hurricroak, Frosttusk and Nepherage are all donning human disguises at this point.
To better convey this detail, their dialogue will be attributed to the names of their human disguises.
Hurricroak is Harriet.
Frosttusk is Frederick.
Nepherage is Nicole.
That is all.
Thank you, we now return to your regularly scheduled chapter.
*Bing-Bong*
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‘Come on! I know I heard it around here, I know I heard that note, so where did it come from?!,’ Harriet thought to herself as she looked around her surroundings in a panic.
Mere moments ago, Harriet was peacefully hanging around her maestro’s neck without a care in the world and was about to enjoy some mild ribbing at his expense.
But then, in that exact same moment, she heard something that caused her to be overwhelmed with the sensation of nostalgia.
It was the faintest of sounds, a note really, and she wasn’t sure what it was exactly. For all she knew it could’ve just been a stray note that just so happened to sound like something she heard or thought she heard a long time ago, that was what the logical part of her existence told her.
But…the more emotional part, the part of her was more in tune with the nature of [Chaos], couldn’t help but wonder and hope that maybe, just maybe…that the source of that note was someone that was very dear to her in another lifetime.
Which was why, Harriet decided to rip herself off of the maestro’s neck, and go running to where she had thought the sound was coming from. Unfortunately for her, it didn’t turn out to be that easy.
Pearl Tusk Harbor was designed with canals in mind, which meant that many of the buildings were lined up in such a manner that sound could be easily carried over distances that were much further than anticipated.
By the time she realized this little tidbit of information, she had already traveled several blocks away from her starting position and was now more or less stuck at a literal and matphorical crossroads.
‘Dammit which direction did it come from?,’ Harriet cursed.
The crossroads in question connected the commerce street to the Aristan streets, and depending on which way one went, the associated sights and businesses could change dramatically.
‘Artisan streets’ are full of artists, so it’s very likely that there is a at least one musician among them…but if it’s who I think it is, they wouldn’t be able to afford any such property,’ Harriet concluded.
‘On the other hand, commerce street has a shot ton of shops, taverns and restaurants so maybe he got hired to play at one of those? Argh! This is too hard! I need another note!’
*Strum!*
‘There!’
As if the universe was giving her a sign, Harriet heard yet another note carried by the wind and acoustic architecture, directing her to not go down any of the obvious roads, but to travel alongside the canals while keeping a hand on the Artisan’s District walls.
Whilst running and doing her damnedest to keep the direction of the note in mind, Harriet began to remember more and more of the face of a particular performer.
‘He always thought he was alone whenever he played that piece of his, he had no idea that I found it such a great source of comfort…fuck, am I even allowed to tell him something small like that?
…
“Dammit! Which way did she go?”
“I…don’t…know…”
Shortly after Harriet had ran off without so much as leaving being a tiny note explaining everything, Nicole and Frederick had taken it upon themselves to find and possibly comfort her if the situation called for it.
“Damn! Which way do you think she went?”
“Not sure…feels like…oh…ther she is.”
“Huh? How the hell are you able to-”
“She’s…the…only woman…I…know with…neon blue hair.”
“That… that’ll do it.”
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“What’s taking so long? Most places would’ve started playground music the moment the hour face changes. What’s taking this-”
*Sound of a beautifully played violin note suddenly cutting a complain short.*
“-oh…”
The cacaophonous tavern was suddenly dead silent as their focus was directed towards a corner of the establishment that acted as it’s performance area.
“That’s the bard?”
“He’s so old…”
“Wait, is that a violin? I thought he used a shamisen…”
Draigo was sitting on a rather tall stool that the tavern provided, allowing the man to not only relax his weary feet, but gave him the chance to look at the crowd at eye level as he played.
He took only a few extra seconds to warm himself up before getting ready to play his heart out, once more.
“I know this is a bit different from what you normally hear from me,” Draigo addressed the crowd. “But I hope you enjoy this love song that I wrote a long time ago. Don’t worry, I made sure to fix it over the years.”
‘Wyvara, I don’t know if you’re able to hear this…but this one’s for you.’
And so, the old bard began to play a song that he had written and practiced over and over again.
A song that had always been his own way of confessing the feelings he had for his partner, his best friend, without ever really telling her.
A song that she always loved to hear him play, despite him not ever playing it in public for her.
Until now that is.
…
How long/has it been/since you became my friend?
How long/has it been/since you and I have played by the sea?
How long/has it been/since I first you realized you stole my heart away?
Long enough that I can say…I love you still, to this day.
…
Silence fell on the noisy tavern as the patrons all became enraptured by the melody.
Most of the patrons had expected the old man to play something rowdy or joyful, since he was performing at a tavern and most love songs tended to fall under such a category.
But this strange song of longing, of a love that had always been there but never had a chance to properly confess…well, it was all to relatable to respectfully silent crowd.
“Huh…I guess you were right. There is something special about his music,” a young woman whispered to her dining partner this evening. “I can see why you’re having trouble describing it.”
“Right?,” the young man concurred. “An old man and yet he still plays with the fire of someone three times younger than himself. Good and great are adequate terms, but they do not do this man any justice. I don’t know what word I used to describe it though. It’s…it’s…”
“Soulful. The word you two are looking for, is soulful.”
“Huh?”
Interjecting herself into the couple’s conversation was a young woman that they had never met before.
She was a tanned skin, pretty young woman with strangely blue hair and eyes as gold as amber. However, the young woman had this strange demeanor to her as if she was far, far older than her she appeared on the surface. Of course, the couple themselves didn’t really notice this detail.
They were more focused on the word she had used to describe Draigo’s music.
“Soulful…I like that. This old Bard’s music is…soulful”
“Thank you, Miss…”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. You two just focus on your date. You guys make a cute couple.”
“Oh! Thank you again, miss.”
____________Rewinding a bit…____________
‘Where is it, where is it, where…there it is!’
Harriet had suddenly stopped her running as she came upon a tavern called the Siren’s Cove.
It looked to be a rather well-to-do establishment, the kind of place the average person could enjoy a good meal at a good price.
The kind of place that was perfect for someone like Draigo.
‘I really hope it’s-‘
*Sound of a violin note that could cause one’s heart to flutter.*
‘-huh?’
Harriet stood there in stunned silence as she heard violin note after violin note come out from behind those tavern doors.
After all, it was a song that she only ever heard him play whenever he was alone.
‘You old bastard…I can’t believe after all these years, after all this time that you still…’
