THE SCORE NEVER LIES

5 minutes later. 

@multiplayerisms (Necrodancer)

“Oh this. This is beautiful. Everybody pandering to the most glorious hateship in the Necrodancer fandom.”

          Oh my.

          He didn’t even have time to do anything, just standing there staring at her, a hint of lighter blue around his mouth from her lipstick.

          “...Well! I know that the ladies love musicians...~”

Cadence wasn’t sure HOW to react to all of this. What was she to do, anyway? She had a vague recollection of what happened to her as she tried to dig and escape, and the pain in the back of her neck hinted that as she held her father tightly, but there had to be some sort of explanation for it.  “I’m sorry…?” There was an irritated tone in her voice as he went on, but she calmed down, wiping tears off of her cheeks, “What even happened? Why were you gone for so long? What was more important than Uncle Eli and I?” There was genuine sadness and worry in her voice. Clearly he had missed her, but… she was too upset to really get mad at anybody, much less her own father.

          [ 🔔 ] -- Hearing that harsh tone in her voice, coupled with the accusations, hurt almost as much as dying the first time had. He pressed his lips together tightly, holding her at arms’ length with one hand on her shoulder--half for comfort, half to steady himself.

          “...It wasn’t more important, I was doing it all for this family,” he responded, his voice full of conviction. Though the fire in his eyes quickly faded--that didn’t excuse it, of course it didn’t.

          “I...was looking for something. And I didn’t want to tell you about it before I found it because I...I didn’t want to get your hopes up. Eli knew, but I’m guessing he never told you anything.”

          Dorian watched her with a conflicted expression. Now he was staring the issue in the face--after all this time, could he admit it? Could he actually tell her what he’d been after all this time?

          He had to. She deserved to know.

          His chin dropped. He couldn’t look her in the eye.

The Conductor was all too happy to lend over the lute, watching as the man started plucking strings, almost entirely focused on it. It gave her a chance to move away from him, heading to some terminals to check the sound quality and study the notes that he was jamming out. The sound echoed around, reaching her ears and she couldn’t help but let out a deep breath. “Wonderful. You have a good ear, I will admit, you are not half bad for a bard,” The Conductor spoke up, not expecting any response to it as she started repairing the terminals and trying to fix the mess Nocturna left her lab in. Next thing would be the generators and batteries, but with the lute in The Necrodancer’s hand she couldn’t keep her back turned on him for too long… “Tell me your story. And sing it, please.”

          [ ☠ ] -- It was strange. There would have been a time, a long time ago, where any compliment towards him or his music would be desperately clung to like a lifeline. But as it was, her words barely registered to him, if they did at all, as he was too utterly absorbed in his reunion with the Lute’s power.

          Luckily, the initial rush started to wear off after a few minutes, just enough for him to realize she was talking to him. He cracked one eye open and glanced at her half-curiously, still playing, though quieter now.

          “My story?” he drawled, with a scoff, “What makes you think you have the right to my story?” A harsh minor seventh to accentuate his words. “Besides, it’s hardly important now. Practically lost to my memory.” 

          Even though it wasn’t that long ago...The fact that he had lost himself so quickly should’ve worried him, he knew. But...it was as if he couldn’t force himself to care.

          “...I have long been a bard. All my life, a traveler...but ahead of my time. I was never noticed. They all regret dismissing me, now.”

The Conductor did indeed consider it, but she knew bette than to be wooed by this man and his ability to play the Lute. There was more going on here with his intentions than she knew, and she would have to be careful. In order to properly use him like a tool, she had to make sure he thought he was in complete control. “That is true, you are as stuck here as I am,” The Conductor responded cooly, allowing him to approach her, reaching out. She kept her chin up as she held the lute out, her eyes glowing electric yellow. “I like that idea, but keep in mind, the Lute should be plugged in at all times,” She let out a wide smile, “It’d be interesting to see what sort of music comes out of this. I should study the sound waves resulting in such an attempt.” She failed to mention what would happen if he tried to remove the cord from the lute, and honestly she was hoping he’d try so he would get another nasty surprise…

          [ ☠ ] -- He wasn’t going to try anything...yet. Not while she was looking, at least. He was a little smarter than that. He’d play along. For now.

          He took the lute greedily, cradling it in his arms like a precious child. Gnarled fingers picked at the strings with a surprising delicacy, and a strange sound filled the air as he did--something loud and full-bodied, and yet at the same time...metallic. It wasn’t anything he was intending, so he had to assume that it was the doing of the power grid.

          It didn’t really matter. The moment he began to play in earnest, the lute’s song filled his mind again, its ‘singing’ a welcome presence. His body jolted with vitality and euphoria as a magical purple mist licked at his fingers, and he threw his head back, looking extremely pleased by this turn of events.