i wrote a scene from the campaign and decided i might as well post it here. if you want context, i’m sorry.
the view of the sky is clear, unobstructed, as the airship sails above the clouds. the night air is cold, moreso than she is used to with the thin atmosphere, but masvari still sneaks out from the bunks below to sit up on the deck. it’s quiet enough, the only noise coming from the idle chatter of the crew.
she sits on the hard wood of the deck, back against the railing, her eyes -- solid gold and soft -- turned skyward. she’d done this every night since they had left, climbed up from within the ship to ponder the stars, once she was certain everyone else had fallen asleep. there was no knowledge to be gained, she knew. reading the heavens was a skill, one that she did not possess, and yet, she gazed up night after night, hoping, praying to find answers.
or even just to see her name, to see some tangible proof that the stars called for her presence, as she had been told. as though seeing it would somehow suddenly make all of this make sense -- that she had been brought along on a dangerous mission to locate a lost city, despite her lack of credentials, her lack of skill in anything useful.
she was different from everyone here -- not a warrior, or an archeologist, or a mercenary, no one that could be of any true aid in a fight -- and she knew it.
a creak from the steps that lead below deck, and masvari’s attention shifted, curious to see who else was awake at this hour.
she sees him before he’s even fully on deck, tall and not so much lanky as he is just devoid of muscle mass -- truly nothing but skin and bone. though perhaps unsettling to others (especially at night), masvari feels...not relief, not really, but a warmth in her chest as haven comes to sit next to her. a kind of companionship that she’d longed for since leaving the circus.
he doesn’t speak, doesn’t try to reassure her about her place here as janos had the night prior. he just sits with her, quietly, keeping her company, meditating on the stars with her. and it’s comforting, to be allowed to navigate her feelings without being fully alone, to know that he is here to listen should she want to speak up, but there is no pressure to do so.
they sit in silence for a long while, until the anxiety deep in the pit of her stomach subsides, and when she finally turns to him, it’s with a smile.
“do you want to learn how to play music?”
there’s a moment, a pause, and she can only imagine that the offer surprised him -- she’s never been good with reading people, and the fact that only his mouth is visible doesn’t help, but he’s also never been particularly good at hiding his feelings, not from her experience.
“yes!” he’s enthusiastic in his answer, nodding his head as he adjusts himself to face her.
and, with similar enthusiasm, she pulls her newly acquired accordion from her bag -- small and travel-sized and perfectly hexagonal -- and adjusts it in her hands.
“okay, so, you hold it like this, and--” her words stop short as she looks from her hands back up to haven, to the solid wooden mask on his face.
haven is blind, and she sincerely doubts the bees would be of any help in this instance.
“um...hmm....” her tail swishes in thought; she’s taught people to play instruments before, but never had she done so without being able to demonstrate for them. “okay, well...if-if you don’t mind, allow me to...” she trails off, reaching forward now to gently guide the accordion into his hands, trying so hard to touch him only as much as is necessary.
she adjusts his fingers -- and is struck very suddenly by the memory that he is missing a few.
this is going to be harder than she thought.
“now, press this button,” and she directs one of his fingers to the appropriate spot, “and extend your left arm.”
she nods in encouragement as he does exactly as told, though there’s an air of confusion on what little of his face she can see.
“it didn’t make any noise...”
“right! you’re just opening the bellows, but that’s not what makes the sound. er,” she frowns, snapping her fingers for a moment in thought. “moving the two ends apart and together just moves air in and out, but if you want it to make sound, you’ll have to push the buttons! just pick any of the buttons on the left side and press it while you push the accordion back together again.”
the sound the instrument makes as he follows her instruction is...bad. off key, somehow, more squeaky than she thinks she’s ever heard -- and yet, there is so much genuine excitement on his face that she can’t bring herself to care.
“good! that’s good, that’s wonderful, haven! now, okay, put your index finger here,” she leans forward, bracing herself on one hand, as she adjusts the position of his fingers. “and your thumb here. that’s the c note and the c chord. now just open and close the bellows and alternate between those two.”
it doesn’t sound any better than before; it’s tuneless, his movement of the accordion is anything but smooth, leading to jerky, stilted notes, and sometimes the fingers of his right hand would press down on the keys, making for a strange, discordant sound. but he’s trying, and he’s smiling, and she’s so genuinely proud in this moment that she doesn’t care that it sounds bad.