melodiesoflife | Remembrance

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Remembrance

Who: Ramza and Barkeep
What: Finding the remains of the bard they met during Genesis and paying their respects to her.
Where: The ruins of Aqures Tosf
When: October 10th
Warnings: Discussions of death, sad times

The Barkeep stepped off the airship and waved to the captain's cabin. He was thankful for the pilot to agree to flying the two of them over to this abandoned island, even if the two of them weren't planning on staying here for more than a day. This was important; Ramza thought visiting her one last time was, and the Barkeep couldn't argue with that. He liked the young woman they met twenty-eight years ago. It was about time he stopped putting off visiting her again.

He wrapped his robes tightly around his body to keep out the cold air and stepped over the ruins of the city, careful not to step on anything fragile, which was a task easier said than done. Pottery, skeletal remains, so much was lost during the blast.

"Say, Ramza," he address the young man with him without taking his eyes off the path. "You know where she last was?"

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The Barkeep lifted his robes and with each slow, heavy footstep, the stairs creaked. He silently thanked that Ramza was considerate enough to help the older man safely make his way up to the second floor. His trailing robes left thick line in the dust on the steps and the wooden boards leading to the Bard's room.

The hallway bordering the hand rails overlooking the first floor was covered in debris; the area furthest away from the stairs ended in a large hole. The ghost stopped by the second door and tilted her head towards the closed door. She drifted through it.

The Barkeep stepped in front of Ramza and twisted the doorknob, which fell off in his hand. He shrugged, pocketed it, and pushed it open with the end of his staff. The darkened room revealed itself with a groaning creak. An unmade bad was pushed to the corner, and any trace of fine linen had been eaten by moths since the many years it last was slept in.

The Bard was standing above the bed with the lute in her hands.

[[~~Ramza still does not know this place is a brothel please don't let him go out in public without an adult, Barkeep~~]]

Ramza followed into the dusty little room.

"I think it feels warmer here," he said to no one in particular. It wasn't, really, but they were here and they were going to enjoy this concert so the Bard could rest in peace.

He sat on the floor and motioned for the Bard to start her final performance.

[~~It's okay, Ramza, Mr. Jiminy is here to chaperone you.~~]

The Bard smiled. "Is it? I can't tell." She looked upwards, turning to gaze at the state of the room. As she was waiting for Ramza, the Barkeep searched for a chair that would hold his weight, but ended up sitting on the floor as well. It wasn't the cleanest of seats, but hadn't they listened to her music while sleeping on the floor?

Kinda nostalgic, when I think about it.

With the two ready, the Bard plucked at her lute and began to sing. With Ramza as her audience, her tune takes a happier tone, a song about pure love between a young man and woman who met under an apple tree in the springtime. There were a few metaphors involved apples that caused the Barkeep to glance at Ramza to check if the reference didn't fly over his head. She didn't know many songs that didn't delve into bawdy territory, but this one was one of the tamer ones.

Ramza frowned a little bit as the song entered into suggestive territory. He could tell there was a hidden message somewhere, but he just could not put his finger on where. But he was certain that if his comrades from back home were listening, they would be elbowing him and waggling eyebrows.

But mostly, Ramza listened, letting the Bard's soothing voice and skillful lute playing fill his ears. Maybe he was a little hungry for apples at the end of the song, but he'd eat when they were back in their airship bound for home.

Good thing Ramza didn't voice his hunger out loud, because that would have broken the Barkeep's attempts to keep a steady face throughout the song. It was beautiful, and he didn't mind a bit of dirty humor, but Ramza's innocence could ruin the moment.

He'll explain the metaphor later on the ship.

The Bard, while not focused on her playing, looked at the two men. The older one could be a bit stern, but she made for a good audience. Ramza, however, was the main focus. He looked slightly confused, but she ignored that. He was listening. The man who walked her home on the last day of her life.

When she finished, she set the lute sideways on her lap and gazed at the floor. "How did you like it?"

The Barkeep nodded. "Mighty good. You've been practicin' I can tell."

Had she survived the tragedy of Aqures Tosf, the bard would have made a name for herself, he thought. She would have played in venues finer than this condemned boarding house and for audiences more refined than her present company.

There was no way to right the injustice of a life cut short. They could only try to comfort her spirit, and then move on.

Ramza stood, and bowed. He fought to keep his voice steady as he spoke. "A fine performance, my lady. Well worth the wait. I thank you for allowing us to listen."

A hint of a smile graced her ghostly face. "...Thank you, Ramza..." She stood up, reading to step towards the two men on the floor, but stopped herself, realizing something.

"There somethin' else we need to do?" the Barkeep asked. He was concerned that she was going to disappear right after that song, but she seemed just as translucent as before.

The bard pursed her lips, eyes straining to stay open, then looked at Ramza. "...Could you stand up, please?"

Ramza straightened up, not sure what the Bard wanted of him. He stood at his full height, which put him above both the ghostly bard and the still seated Barkeep.

"Like this? What do you need me to do?" He had not been to many musical performances. Did the Bard need a standing ovation to send her on her way?

The Bard plucked at one of the strings and hesitated. She knew she had to tell Ramza her true feelings before she could pass on, but it was a daunting task. There weren't many men she knew that she could say were worthy of being loved, yet...

Ramza was different.

She took a ghostly breath in and raised her head. Ramza may be taller than her, but her ghostly form allowed her to float the few inches she needed to be face-to-face with him. A few seconds pass as she studies his face, then leans in for a kiss.

It's cold, and mostly incorporeal, but she focused all of her energies on her lips just so that it could feel like the real thing.

Ramza froze as the Bard's face came close to his, standing stock still, with no idea what to do. He could feel the cold of her nose and her hair brush against his skin like a chill winter wind as they touched. Her lips, though, were solid and felt almost warm.

His face went bright red, and perhaps she could feel the warmth of his blush through that ghastly cold around her. He did not know what a kiss was meant to feel like, or if he was doing it right or wrong. Almost of its own volition, his hand came up to cradle her cheek. He remembered his father had kissed his mother like that, in one of the few hazy memories he had of them together. His fingers tingled for a moment at that icy contact, then went numb.

Barkeep was never going to let him live this down, he was certain.

He certainly wasn't going to forget this. Despite Ramza's awkwardness in regards to talking with women, he seemed to know how to kiss one. The Barkeep watched in amazement as the two stood together, hands resting on each others' faces, until the ghost pulled away. If ghosts could have color, her face would be tinged red, but instead it was becoming more transparent like the rest of her body.

The bard looked at her hands let out a sigh. "Looks like I have to go." Her shoulders slumped, but she couldn't bear to look at Ramza again. Her last memory of him had to be a good one, and if his face were to be one of despair as she disappeared, she would regret ever passing on from this world.

The Barkeep, not wanted to interrupt the scene, took great care not to let the floorboards squeak as he pushed himself off the floor. He liked the woman. She has a strong spirit that would do well on Mars, but Palitutu ruined it all. She deserved better.

Not that he could do anything as the bard slowly faded away into the light.

"Goodbye." The bard did not look back at him as she disappeared, but Ramza kept his eyes on her until she was gone from sight.

"Go with God," he murmured when she was gone.

He turned to Barkeep. "We...we can go now." He wanted desperately to be home, and not in this abandoned home of the long-dead bard.

The Barkeep watched the ghost fade away, then continued staring at the spot where she used to be as if he were expected her to return. Monsters disappeared, why shouldn't ghosts, he asked himself. People die, he'd seen plenty of humans killed on Mars, but seeing them at peace before they pass away is a somber moment. She lost much of her future because of a lust for power. She could have had a good life playing music and living with the Heroes.

Ramza brought his thoughts back to the living word. "Yeah, let's do that." He turned to the door, sneaking a final glance at the bed where the bard last performed.

Ramza followed Barkeep out, pulling the bedroom door closed behind him. He went down the stairs in silence, skipping the marked stair once more, and past the sitting room chair where he'd first placed the lute.

Outside of the old boarding house, the wind was still harsh, but the cold felt less oppressive. Ramza turned from the empty house and headed back in the direction of the airship and the land of the living.

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Remembrance

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