Hehe…I apologize in advance for the sickening fluff. XD It's bad in this one.


Morrocan Melody

He leapt from rooftop to rooftop in the still night. Daytime temperatures in Morroc would fool a person about its night temperatures and often, people were shocked at the frigid desert air. Xelender had only two reasons to be out at this time of night, after the city had gone to sleep.

The first reason could have been a job. The second, and his reason for being out this evening, was the one thing that calmed his nerves and helped him destress. He could already hear the music faintly as he approached the none too special house in the north part of the city. Only he and the Morrocan night sky knew of this secret, and frequent, excursion.

She sang to the moon and the stars nearly every night. She was a simple dancer, making a living performing solo and every so often in ensembles. When it came down to it, her musical ability far exceeded her dancing ability. She lounged on a soft chaise placed in front of her bedroom window, gazing at the clear night sky. Her window was open, as it usually was, the light yet cool breeze caressing her skin.

Most nights she sang for the moon to her hearts content. Music was something she had always loved but people would rather see her dance. Leave singing to the bards, they would say. So she did.

She led a rather solitary life thinking she preferred her own company to others, but realized that was a lie. She and people just didn't mesh well together. Now, when she wasn't making money she was alone. She felt like nothing more than an object put on this earth purely for the entertainment of others. She was beautiful, yes, and her body was nothing to scoff at. She would have to have these things as a dancer but these were also the only things people seemed to care about.

She would give them up if she could. Maybe then she would be able to do the things she wanted.

She sang to forget and to stop thinking of all the things wrong in her life. She sang to ignore the aching loneliness. Some nights the songs were brighter and sometimes they were sad. Each song reflected her mood but always served as a wonderful distraction from herself oddly enough.

He had reached her roof some time ago and sat down. Her window was directly below him so he had a perfect spot to hear her. He could tell from her song that she was unusually sad and contemplative this evening.

"…who will lift the fallen stone,

who will link the broken chain?

Who will fill my empty heart...?" ¹

Her voice quieted abruptly leaving Xelender disappointed. He hoped she wouldn't cut the night short and deprive him of his one indulgence.

"Well, I do appreciate that I have such a loyal audience," he heard her say in an amused tone. He nearly fell from the roof in surprise. He remained silent, unsure of whether she was talking to herself or to him. She could not have known he was there, he reassured himself. "No reply, huh? Just so you know, the first few months I thought I was crazy, seeing shadows and what not. May as well come down so I can see who's been listening all this time."

Xelender was hesitant for a moment but took a deep breath and climbed nimbly down to her window. He perched on the ledge of the window, Sirai watched him with a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, pale blue eyes sparkling.

It made her happy to know that there was someone who appreciated his music. "So it's an assassin cross that's been haunting my rooftop? I'm a little surprised."

"I like to listen to you," he said, his face remaining expressionless.

"Thanks."

"Why are you so sad?" he asked cautiously. She seemed taken aback by his question but appeared to think it over. Eventually, she shrugged.

"Maybe I'm just unhappy in general. It's not really one thing over any other. Sometimes things are bad for a while before they ever get better." He nodded believing this to be a valid enough reason. He pulled down his mask to let her see his whole face as sort of a polite gesture.

"Don't be sad."

Sirai laughed softly at his comment, thinking it was both silly and endearing. No one really seemed to care about how she felt as long as she made them feel better. Then, along comes an assassin cross of all people telling her not to be sad. "Why do you care so much? You come here night after night to hear me sing. In fact, you're the only one who seems to listen."

Strangely, he thought of the reason in that very moment. "Maybe...maybe I like to think you're singing to me." Sometimes it contented the void in him. An assassin's life was not meant to be socially or romantically fulfilling. He wasn't supposed to have ties that could put him at risk. Under the moonlight, he saw her blush faintly.

"I don't know you but I think I'd like to," she murmured, taking an immediate liking to this familiar stranger. She had wondered about him every since she noticed the shadows around her window.

"I think you're right for the both of us," he agreed. "I love to hear you sing." He quietly, moved from the window sill.

"I love that you listen," she answered as she moved over and motioned for him to sit with her.

He sat next to her. "I love the way you look under the moon."

"I love that you give me such compliments," she laughed softly, moving closer to him. She had never met an assassin before, but he was sure to be a peculiar one.

"I think I just might love you," he whispered in her ear. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I think I'll let you."

A/N: Eww. Yes it IS unrealistic but hey, this is my ROland and it can be as weird as I want it to be. Gawd...pet the fluff, love the fluff, and accept the fluff for its fluffy fluffiness!

1. The little part of that "song" is from one of the books in the Myst trilogy.