Read: I love Kenneth Oppel and his trilogy Airborn, Skybreaker, and Starclimber. This is a one-shot based on Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata the first movement with a few Matt and Kate scenes. I play this piece on piano a lot and I thought up this mental picture whenever I played it. I love Miss Simpkins and her hatred of Matt is so much fun to play with. Enjoy and I don't claim rights to these characters, that's Kenneth Oppel's masterpiece.
The black and white keys gleamed in the dimmed light. The sound of each note resounded throughout the room, betraying the stillness of the hour. It was night on the airship. Kate sighed. It was a sound so content, it had me following her gaze. The moonlight bathed the clouds and the dark water contrasted so the entire sky looked a dark blue, even in the late hour.
I paused in my playing to ask her what was on her mind. Kate suddenly shot straight up from her leaning position against my shoulder and glared. "Matt, why did you stop playing? I was enjoying that you know."
"I was just making sure you weren't falling asleep on me." I said nudging her slightly before resuming my unfinished melody. She looked so beautiful tonight. Her dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders and tickled me now and again every time she shifted.
"You play most excellently. The notes paint a picture of another world, with a most interesting story."
I glanced at her as she continued her hard stare out the window. "Is it a story I know?"
"It's about two lovers separated by the ocean. They have no contact with each other except through music. They desperately play their melodies, hoping it can survive the journey across the desolate waters. The music is meant to reach the other's heart, not their ears." She sounded wistful after explaining her thoughts.
"That sounds terribly lonely." I said, my fingers flying across the gleaming keys in the next section of the piece. "I rather prefer kisses to heartfelt melodies." I leaned toward Kate and kissed her deeply. One of her hands grasped at my neck as she kissed back.
She pulled away breathing heavily. "A kiss like that would put any melody to shame. Although I rather like the two together." She sighed again and gave my hand a squeeze. "Our engagement is like an echo of this story. We are separated by the vast divide of the social classes, but we still managed to conquer that distance and our hearts have each other's melodies in them."
The two of us were on an airship bound for Paris to resume our studies. I was to graduate the Airship Academy this year and Kate was to work on her new research involving the Etherians with Sir Hugh Snuffler, the insufferable wafer.
We were engaged to be married in secret. We would not reveal that anytime soon. That would definitely not be a wise choice. For now we could enjoy this secret ourselves. There were many fine guests aboard this vessel. Only some were still walking around at the hour. We had the parlor all to ourselves.
A loud banging could be heard down the hall. A clip clopping cadence could be heard stamping in an accelerated rumpus. It gradually grew louder until it stopped altogether outside of the parlor entrance. In the doorway stood none other than Miss Simpkins, who appeared to be out of breath as she fanned herself.
"I heard the most beautiful melody emanate from this room. Where is the gentleman that was playing that heart stopping piece?" She said breathlessly. "Did you see him Kate?"
Kate looked at me deviously and launched into a well spun tale. "Marjorie you just missed him. He was quite the fiendish devil too. Tried to kiss me as he played his romantic little tune."
Miss Simpkins seemed to have just noticed me sitting beside her beloved Kate. "Mr. Cruse." She said it as though the mere utterance of my name dirtied her tongue.
"Miss Simpkins it's a pleasure as always." She may be a right difficult woman, but manners were impeccable in any situation. It was sort of a game with Kate's chaperone I had going. It was a great test of self-control.
She sneered at my gesture and sauntered into the room, taking a seat across from the Grand Piano. "If only our dear Mr. Cruse were that fine a gentleman."
Kate and I both tried not to laugh. "Marjorie are you saying you want Mr. Cruse to kiss me."
The chaperone blushed. "Not at all. I merely was suggesting that only a fine gentleman could be so learned in the piano that he would be deserving enough to fraternize with a highborn lady such as yourself."
We openly snorted at that. She continued oblivious, "It's not so ridiculous that it deserves such a disgusting retort."
"This gentleman playing the piano is deserving enough to kiss the esteemed Kate DeVries based on his skill." My eyes gleamed.
"Of course. It takes a master of discipline to play something so elegant. He must be grand to have learned such a skill. The likes of which could be means to woo any woman he so chooses." She added.
I made sure Miss Simpkins was watching before I gently lifted Kate's chin to kiss her again passionately. "Don't mind if I do."