Looking up I saw nothing

[competitionsmile]

Who: Valen Arrol (competitionsmile) and Vasilica Alin
Universe: Original
What: True love
Warning: to be added

Maybe Valen's old enough to know better than to listen to rumors, but it's more the case that he's old enough that he knows that even if most rumors aren't what they seem, they still often make for a good story later, and sometimes what the reality is turns out to be better than the rumor. Which is why when he hears the story of a beautiful ghost in a tower he assures the servant that exorcism is definitely one of his top ten skills and sets off towards the tower that had been described to him. He'd sprained his ankle in his last fight and he's going stir-crazy trying not to head out of town yet, so he agrees because it sounds interesting

He has his bow strapped to his back when he knocks on the door, the rest of his worldly possession in his bag because it's not like he has anywhere to leave them behind. The women who'd hired him greets him at the door, and he pins her with a charming smile. "If I'm free to look around, that's what I'm going to be doing," he says, because if he's going to find out anything, it's not going to be while he's being herded around. He needs to poke his nose where it doesn't belong, because he's sure the ghost isn't going to come out to say hi, if it's even real.

Comments

[closemyeyes]

The smile Mira gives him in return, as he sits down on the bed, is sweet and sad around the edges. If Valen is unsettled now, he's certainly going to be unsettled once the explanation starts.

"Less than a month after we met...I died." alone in the dark. "Normally, that would have been the end, but...it wasn't quite. " he's pretty clearly trying to find the words. "...I'm not certain how much attention you pay to religion, but you've at least heard of the most common stories? About how the Lady turned her eyes from the world but in Her mercy sent Her Seven Messengers to watch over us?"

[competitionsmile]

Valen takes his seat, trying to keep some distance because he doesn’t want to scare the other man away and doesn’t know how his own reactions are going to go. He’s patient, nodding slowly.

“I’ve heard of it, yeah. And if we’re talking resurrection or ghosts I can guess that religion’s part of it?” If he doesn’t generally believe, if he tends to think there are other reasons, well. He’s not about to accuse Vasilica of lying to him.

[closemyeyes]

"What the church doesn't teach or acknowledge is the nature of the Seven. A steadfast denial." Mira says. It makes their job easier...or harder, in some respects, to have that misunderstanding. "Besides simply messenger gods...they incarnate in mortal vessels, who are born and live as ordinary people, unknowing of the power they carry in their heart, until they die."

He pauses, for a long moment. "...So, then, you can see why I'm alive, now, even though I died and my sister lit candles for me. May the Seven judge him fairly. And I'll stay like this until I inevitably die again doing my job."

Delicate lips quirk into a bitter smile. "I wasn't exactly supposed to tell you about this, but you deserve the truth. Please don't spread it around."

[competitionsmile]

Valen's brow might crease adorably, but it's still very obvious that he's confused. "I think you might need to run that by me again."

Wait, he can help a little with the part that he's confused by. "You were a god? Still are, or are more?

"You're still Vasilica, though, right? I mean, you obviously remember me."

[closemyeyes]

"Of course." Mira says (that crease is cute, though it's a bit weird to think of an older man as being 'cute'). "I'm still me: I'm just more now then I was, with more magic and the memories of my predecessors." he pauses, for a moment, and gives Valen a hesitant smile.

"There's a lot of stuff from before I would have wanted to forget, but you weren't one of them. The only thing that's really changed is my name, for...perhaps obvious reasons. I call myself Mira now."

[competitionsmile]

"Mira." Valen repeats it carefully. "Do you prefer that?" They're likely only going to talk to this one time, but Valen can change how much he thinks about the man.

"And are you... Do you feel better, in your new role?"

[closemyeyes]

Mira nods. "I chose it myself." he says, quietly. It's a tradition they had...to change their names, both because it would make things easier and to put distance between themselves and their old lives.

"Yes, I do. I'm...a lot more stable, now that I'm away from where I was."

[competitionsmile]

Valen can't imagine giving up his own name, but he hasn't had to, and Vasilica -- Mira -- isn't very much like Valen ever has been.

"Do you -- Are there certain things you have to do now, or do you get to enjoy yourself sometimes?"

[closemyeyes]

Valen's lucky in that way, and Vasilica, throughout his short life, had wanted to be someone - anyone - other then who he was. Now he was, and was happier for it.

"I have responsibilities, but there's nothing that needs doing at the moment." Mira says, propping his chin in his hand. "We can enjoy ourselves in that kind of...downtime? Peace."

[competitionsmile]

“Enjoy ourselves?” Valen’s smile might be slightly teasing, but the other nine tenths of it is entirely warm.

“I hadn’t been aware that you were familiar with the concept. Tell me, what do you do for fun?”

[closemyeyes]

Mira can feel his cheeks heat a little at the teasing. The warm kind of teasing is something he's still getting used to, but it's nice.

"It's something I had to learn." he says, quietly. "...I like reading and I'm something of a musician?" he offers, a bit sheepishly. "I'm...still learning, beyond that."

[competitionsmile]

"A musician?" Valen's voice is interested, and it would hard to not be. Vasilica fascinated him even before, and now that he's interested in a conversation, Valen can feel a warmth inside of him.

"Any particular instrument, or vocals?"

[closemyeyes]

Mira gently taps his harpcase, settling it onto his lap. "Harp, mostly," he says, running his fingers over the case. It had been a skill he'd learned after he'd died, since his former family had regarded music as a skill fit only for women. "Though I sing a little."

He can hear the interest in the man's voice, and offers him another shy smile. "I could sing for you, if you wanted?"

[competitionsmile]

"Ah?" Valen feels suddenly and inexplicably embarrassed by the offer. Mostly because he's sure he shouldn't be that transparent about things.

"If you don't mind I...also. Wouldn't mind."

[closemyeyes]

Carefully, Mira extracts the instrument from the case, carefully tunes it as he speaks. It's been well-cared for, but was never a fine instrument. "I wouldn't have offered if I'd minded." he says, expression warm and soft, as he begins to play, spinning a gentle melody beneath his fingers.

"Is there a particular song you would like to hear, or shall I just play whatever?"

[competitionsmile]

"Whatever you want." The words come out too quickly, but Valen hasn't been any good at pretending disinterest. Particularly not where Vasilica has been concerned.

"It sounds good already." Valen would be fascinated by Mira simply tuning his instrument, so it's all good.

[closemyeyes]

A faint flush creeps up the back of Mira's neck - he's still not quite used to someone being so openly interested in what he's doing.

"Sing, a song of dawn/dawn, the day reborn.../breathe deep of the dawn before this storm.../this hearth, this home..."

His voice is clear and soft, but much more sure than it had been before, and he keeps his eyes on Valen to see how he responds to this, a song from over the sea.

[competitionsmile]

Valen lets his eyes flutter closed so he can focus on the sound of it all, so he doesn't get distracted by staring at Mira.

It also has the effect of making Valen's face less guarded -- not that it has been very much so to begin with. Delight and excitement flash across his face, before it settles into wonder.

[closemyeyes]

Mira blushes, deeply, noticing the look on Valen's face: he's never really had anyone react to him or his performances like that, before, even in this second lifetime. It's...nice, but he tries to keep his focus, playing through the rest of the song.

"...your time is come, a choice bestowed/Tonight, for unsung sins atone/This night you need not walk alone..."

He does nearly fumble the last chord but recovers very, very well, and smiles shyly at Valen. "How did you like it?"

[competitionsmile]

Valen beams at him, comfortable with his own affection and absolutely delighted.

"It was beautiful." His eyes now track Mira's expression. "Is is something you wrote?" If not, Valen is still sure it's Mira's performance that brought out the heart of the piece.

[closemyeyes]

"Thank you." his smile widens, slightly, still shy, but it's more than Valen has seen from him before. "I didn't write it originally, but I rearranged it. I've written some other pieces, but I wanted to see how well that arrangement worked."

[competitionsmile]

Valen nods enthusiastically, following along with what Mira said. "I would love to hear them, if you ever felt like sharing more." It could only be good for Mira to get consistent praise, right?

[closemyeyes]

"Maybe," Mira says, noncommittally, though he glows a bit under the praise, even prettier than he usually is when he smiles, fingers plucking an idle melody under his fingers. "I'm still revising most of them. It's slower than I like, but I don't have as much time as I'd like to work on them."

It's not a no, though, and he's still playing whatever this song was, idle driftings, idle musings.

[competitionsmile]

Valen's grinning himself, pleased by the song and by Mira's own happiness. He thinks that he could stay here for days, could forget about food and drink in the face of this kind of mood.

"You have time this evening, right?"

[closemyeyes]

"I do," Mira says, looking up from the harp for a moment. Something about Valen's smile makes him warm and almost dizzy, and he has to look away briefly, blushing a bit. "But I don't want to bore you with something tedious to watch. Is there something that you would rather do?"

It's not a dismissal, but an invitation.