The lecture hall was in surprisingly good shape, considering the rest of the building was in utter ruin. A quick peer through the door and detect magic revealed no creatures or traps. Essek glanced back over his shoulder, spying Caleb some 30 feet away, picking through some fallen rubble, and stepped through the open doorway into the hall.
Not only was the room in good shape, it was almost eerily untouched -- the toppled professor's desk on the dais the only true indication of something awry. Once-polished, wooden chairs with adjoining desks were arranged in tiers around the dais, built into the floor and, if his arcane sight did not deceive him, magically reinforced against being removed or altered in any way. He wondered idly what sort of rowdy behavior Aeor's elite arcane students got up to that warranted such reinforcement as he glided silently toward the professor's desk. The windows of the surrounding walls were similarly reinforced, framed by columns that guided the eye up and overhead where they held aloft a dome inlaid with golden arcane sigils in a calligraphic script that appeared merely decorative in nature. It was easy to imagine such a room flying, majestic, among the clouds, filled with light and learning.
Regrettable, then, that his own search for learning in this hall was looking to be fruitless: there were no papers strewn on the surrounding floor around the desk, and it appeared the room was unoccupied at the time of destruction. Spying no traps, he pulled perfunctorily on one of the desk drawers, and -- shrreeeeeekk -- the ancient slides, long rusted from disuse, grated against each other. He froze, listening for any disturbed monsters in the shadow. There were no creeping abominations to be heard, but something else caught his ear.
He glided slowly to the center of the dais and spoke quietly with a quick practiced twist of his hand. He barely registered the dancing lights that floated up from his fingertips as he listened to the way his voice reverberated through the room, filling the space. He gave an experimental hum, first one note, then another, and relished in how they danced among the dust motes. He took a deep breath and, unsure if he still remembered how, began to sing softly.
Across the fields, the windswept fields,
Across the fields, oh Light, oh Light,
the windswept fields,
my lover came to me.
Across the mountains, the western mountains,
Across the mountains, oh Light, oh Light,
the western mountains,
he went away.
The northern wind, the howling wind,
The northern wind, oh Light, oh Light,
the howling wind,
is all that dries my tears.
It was fine, he thought. The ornamentations weren't as smooth or detailed as he once managed, but still, he listened with satisfaction to the last notes lingering in the air.
The sound of quiet applause caused him to start, and he twisted around to find Caleb standing in the doorway. Essek could feel heat rising in his face at being caught singing so roughly, but he gave a mock bow to go with the mock applause before gliding over.
"That was lovely," Caleb murmured as Essek glided near, and Essek stopped short, realizing the look on Caleb's face was not one of amusement but of intermingled affection and delight. Was he serious? Caleb continued. "Was it a hymn of some sort?"
"I thought I heard--ah," He stopped short, suddenly serious, and cleared his throat. "Light?" He ventured in Undercommon, and Essek felt warmer still, though no longer from embarrassment. He floated closer to Caleb, compelled by a sort of gravitational pull he was only recently becoming familiar with.
"Widowgast, you did not tell me you were studying Undercommon."
"Ah, well," Caleb's eyes found a spot on Essek's shoulder as a small smile tugged his lips. "Studying is generous term. I've just pieced together a few things." He reached out a hand and interlaced his fingers with Essek's, tugging him into the doorway with him, which Essek allowed with pleasure. The smile on his face had a warm mischievousness that crinkled the corners of his eyes as he added, "Though I certainly wouldn't say no to some private lessons."
"Private lessons?" Essek reached up his other hand and hooked a finger under Caleb's scarf, pulling them closer still, until their foreheads rested against each other. "That will cost you a favor, I think." And Caleb obliged, tilting his chin up and closing the distance between them, and their lips met with a rush of warm affection and pleasure. "Mm, I'll consider it," he murmured as they parted at last.
"Wunderbar. And how much would another private concert cost me?"
Essek laughed -- it was a silly thought after all -- him give a concert. But, Caleb was not laughing. His brows were furrowing together as he tried to determine what he had said that was so funny. Oh. "Apologies," Essek said, straightening up. "I-I cannot say I have ever been asked to sing before. It took me by surprise." Caleb's brows furrowed further.
"No one noticed you have a beautiful voice?" Again, he seemed utterly sincere. Essek had heard human ears were not as discerning as elven ones. Perhaps, it was true.
"I took singing lessons as a child -- all noble-born children do. Music is an important part of temple services -- a hymn was a good bet on your part. I enjoyed it well enough, but my teacher concluded my voice was only good for --" He paused, unsure if the phrase was the same in Common, but forged ahead. "--kitchen songs and said I would be better off playing an instrument."
"He sounds like an Arschloch."
Caleb raised their clasped hands and pressed a sweet kiss to Essek's knuckles. When he lowered them, there was mischief glittering in his eyes again. "You know, I never had music lessons, and kitchen songs sound fun. Perhaps you can teach me that as well." Essek grinned back at him.
"The price for that will be very steep."
"I was hoping you would say so."
*shows up to Shadowgast Week 2025 fifteen minutes late with black moss cupcakes*
This was supposed to be for Light / Culture, but better late than never! It was inspired by this video that crossed my dash recently and a conversation with a friend about their childhood music teacher. The folk song Essek sings is inspired by this one.
