Beneath the stars

[regenleif]

The hills surrounding the small town were dotted with people, wrapped in cloaks and blankets. Out to watch the lunar eclipse. Not much happened in the tiny town where people were pulled in from worlds far and wide, and so it was an event that had generated a lot of excitement.

High up on the hill, apart from the crowds Capell sat watching the sky. What would have been feared in his world was being celebrated here, it was a strange thought.

He brought the flute he held to his lips, playing softly and hoping it didn't disturb anyone too much.

Comments

[antechamber]

Watching a sky filled with foreign stars wasn't a new experience for Ledo, but here, far from Gargantia and Amy, it was just as painful as the first time. Even so, the eclipse was one of the first real community events in the town, and he had to admit it was something he'd been looking forward to.

The chatter of the other immigrants was quiet and soothing, and there was even the faint strains of a pipe melody from one of the groups. He'd been walking aimlessly up the hill - or so he thought, until he glanced down and realised the musician he'd been hearing play was now sitting barely five metres in front of him on the grass.

The old Ledo would have continued walking, probably. Ledo of Gargantia wad a different matter. After a pause, he crossed the remaining distance and sat down cross-legged beside the player.

"That's a nice tune."

[regenleif]

Likewise, there was a time where Capell would have disliked having someone disturbing him but now he smiled and paused in his playing. "Thanks, I wrote it myself."

He took in the boy, he had gotten used to people from all over, but he would still always connect white hair with Tohma.

"Are you here to watch the moon?"

[antechamber]

He nodded, even though the eclipse had yet to start. The other boy seemed not to mind the company, so Ledo leaned back on his hands and resumed watching the sky.

"I've never seen an eclipse myself, before."

[regenleif]

"You haven't?" Capell looked over at him, wondering from what kind of world he had come from. "They couldn't predict them where I come from, so it wasn't like this."

[antechamber]

"It was the same on the fleet," Ledo offered. Chamber would have had the ability, but it wasn't something Gargantia found necessary. He thought they could work it out easily, if they wanted to... maybe as a personal project.

Musing, he unclipped his own flute from his belt.

[regenleif]

"Fleet, of ships?" Capell would have thought if the boy was a sailor he would have seen such a thing before.

He was soon distracted by the instrument though, very different than Capell's flute, but it was obvious enough what it was.

"Do you play?"

[antechamber]

"Not very well," but he held the carved fang out for Capell to inspect. He didn't even know if it was possible to play music properly on it; it was more keepsake than instrument. "That melody you wrote. Would you show me how to play it?"

[regenleif]

Capell took the fang and brought it to his lips, playing a few notes. "You want me to teach you?"

He figured he could probably work out how to play this strange instrument, but teaching someone else?

[antechamber]

For someone who hadn't heard of sheet music, this sounded eminently sensible. Ledo wasn't surprised that Capell could play it right away - his instrument was more, well, advanced wasn't the right word... He frowned. Maybe his flute wasn't up to the task.

"Is it no good?"

[regenleif]

"No it is," He had worked out a few notes now and managed to play the first couple of bars. He did it again facing the boy and handed it back, "That's the beginning."

[antechamber]

Oh. Relieved, Ledo took back the flute and lifted it to his mouth, placing his fingers in the same positions Capell had begun with. The first two notes came out audible, if gusty, but the third he fluffed on the fingering and the fourth was just a tuneless huff.

He sat back, disappointed.

[regenleif]

Capell blinked in surprise, he had thought when the boy had asked him to teach that he could already play, not that he had no idea.

"Here hold it up a little," He repositioned Ledo's hands, tipping the flute up a little. "Your mouth needs to look like this." He demonstrated without his flute.

[antechamber]

"Like this..." Through his consternation, he did as instructed and tried again. His expression when the first attempt produced a clearer note was almost comical. So this was the difference a musician made.

[regenleif]

"Exactly like that." He smiled, genuinely glad that Ledo had managed it. "Why don't you try the bar again."

[antechamber]

Infinitely encouraged, Ledo nodded, then proceeded to stumble his way through the... bar, he'd called it. He reached the end of the notes he'd remembered, and stopped.

"The 'bar', is that the name for the beginning of a song?"

[regenleif]

Capell smiled, the tune sounded different on the smaller instrument, but it was still a pretty sound. "It's the name for a part of a song, this one has four beats in each bar. So every four beats is a separate bar."

He's never actually had to teach anyone this before.

[antechamber]

He nodded again. Dividing a tune into sections must make it easier to learn and play, he supposed.

Their practice was cut short just then by the ripple of excitement through the people scattered across the hillside, and Ledo started when he remembered what he'd actually gone there to see. The flute was set down carefully on the grass between them, and he leaned back again to squint at the moon.

[regenleif]

It was beginning then. Capell looked up as well watching as a darkness spread over the moon. People here were very different from home. No one had lunaglyphs; something Capell still found difficult to get used to and the air was almost like a festival.

whoops all my icons broke OH WELL

[antechamber]

The hush lasted only as long as it took for the crowd to realise the eclipse was going to take a while. When conversations sprang back up around them, Ledo glanced around, then back at Capell.

"How long does it last?"

[regenleif]

"A while I think." Capell wasn't sure. "I think each one is different, the moon is full tonight so it might take a while."

He looked up watching as the moon was slowly swallowed by darkness.

[antechamber]

Ledo settled back to watch the moon more comfortably, glad suddenly for the company.

"Did it look the same on your planet?"

[regenleif]

Capell did the same, linking his arms beneath his head. "No, it is a lot smaller here and where I come from it was always chained though it is not anymore."

[antechamber]

"The moon was... chained?" He had trouble believing that, but then not all of the worlds he'd heard of obeyed what he thought of as fundamental laws of reality. "Why?"

[regenleif]

"Because this group called the order of chains wanted it's power for themselves." He frowned up at the moon.

"And the god who lived on the moon wanted humans as his mindless obedient servants."

[antechamber]

And didn't that sound familiar.

"But someone stopped him." The past tense implied that, and Ledo hoped so. He hated to think that anyone on any planet could succeed at that goal.

[regenleif]

"Yeah, we stopped him." Capell smiled softly. "The moon isn't chained anymore."

[antechamber]

Ledo looked back up at the moon, trying to imagine the technology needed to chain it to the planet. Wouldn't that affect the tides? He was sure Bevel had mentioned something to that effect.

"How did you do that?"

[regenleif]

Capell looked over at him and smiled sadly. "I had a lot of friends to help me." He said, "We traveled around to cut all the chains, though I didn't start it, I just took over..."