Nice peaceful chapter today.
Chapter 47: Family Trip
"HEEEEEEEEEEY Everybody needs a change!"
"A chance to check out the ne-e-ew!"
"But you're the only one to see!"
"The changes you take yourself throo-oo-oo-oo-oo-ough!"
"Come on Severa!" Diana shouts over from King's back.
"No."
"You know you want to, Severa." I encourage.
"I really, really don't." Severa replies, and while I'm sitting behind her the way she rolls her eyes is being conveyed perfectly through voice alone.
"Abandon your pride, my daughter!" I command, dropping my voice several octaves for the sake of drama, "It has blinded you to this smooth rhythm. It has lead you astray!"
"Yeah Severa, Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing!" Diana calls out.
Severa's glare does absolutely nothing to quell Diana's attitude. This is probably because she's being encouraged by the way I've started laughing my ass off.
"I don't want to sing right now!" Severa snaps irritably.
"We have to sing." I reply immediately. "This is a family trip. Stevie Wonder is required. It is a family tradition, one that has lasted since my generation."
"Your generation?" Severa raises an eyebrow at me. "If it's tradition shouldn't it have been from before your generation?"
"As your father I have every right to decide to start a family tradition. Besides, Stevie Wonder hasn't been around that long."
"Been around too long if you ask me." Severa grumbles halfheartedly.
"Oh come on, what's the matter? I know you know the words." I coax, "There's no way I taught Diana but not you."
"Of course I know it!" She snaps irritably, "That's really not the problem."
"Well… what is the problem?" I lean forward, trying to get a glimpse of her face. "Just getting sick of us?"
"What?" Severa glances back at me, looking shocked.
"It's our third day flying together. I wouldn't be surprised if you needed some you time." I shrug.
"Believe me, it takes a lot more than some bad singing to make me get sick of you two."
"Excuse you?" I blink in astonishment. "Some what!?"
"You can't hit the high notes in that song anymore dad, you need to accept it and move on."
"Severa you can't just tell him that!" Diana gasps in horror.
"I can tell when my pitch is off, thank you children!" I exclaim, "I was just trying to cut loose a little, but if it bothers you that much I'll just drop the damn octave."
"I said that wasn't the problem, don't get all sensitive about it!" Severa groans.
"Of course it wasn't the problem. My singing is fantastic." I reply firmly, "Now what is the problem?"
"Maybe I just don't like singing." Severa deflects.
"Not with me raising you." I brush the comment off. "If we were in public then maybe, but not in private like this."
"Oh my god, why does it matter?"
"Because you're upset about something and we love you." Diana says with a straight face. "And I don't want to brush something off if it's bothering you. Not after last time."
Holy shit Diana.
"That was so low!" Severa glares incredulously at Diana, who blinks innocently in response. "Ugh! Fine! I'm just… worried about mom. Happy?"
"That's nothing you need to hide." I pat Severa on the shoulder, "We're all worried about Cordelia right now."
"I know…" Severa slumps in the saddle. "I just… it took you so long to get past what happened to you last year. And I had to watch through all of it."
I'm not really past what happened in kidnapper's keep at all, really. I'm just at the point where the trauma isn't debilitating to me in a fight. And honestly getting to that point took way less time than I think it would for most people. There are people who have been through the sort of thing I have and never recovered from it. I think the main reason I pulled out of it as quickly as I did was because I found out about Severa immediately after. The revelation was big enough to eclipse much of that pain in my mind, though obviously it's still there.
I don't correct Severa though. My daughters have their hands full just trying to worry about one parent. Instead I just give them what little reassurance I can, "It'll be okay. I know it seems scary right now, but Cordelia will be fine. She's got the two of you to help her through it, after all."
"…And you, right?" Diana says, fixing her gaze on me.
I wonder… I certainly want to help her, but somehow I can't seem to convince myself that Cordelia would welcome my support. The kids are one thing, we're both involved with them. But this…
If I'm being perfectly honest, I don't know where Cordelia and I truly stand anymore. The whole situation between the two of us is complicated as hell at this point. We're getting along better recently, but it hasn't escaped my notice that that only started when Cordelia and I found out our alternate selves had two kids together. Before that revelation came about she was very clearly of the opinion that I was a terrible person who failed her and caused all her friends to die. And she was entirely right to feel that way.
So… how much of that grudge remains? How much of this newfound, or to be more exact, newly recovered goodwill she has is just for the sake of our kids? What does she really think of me?
A part of me remembers when I knew the answer to that. That moment at the gates of Basilio's keep, when I held her in my arms and knew that she loved me. Before I tore down the veil of lies and everything suddenly stopped looking so perfect.
Then I remember the conversation we had back then. The promise I made. I may not have come clean to Cordelia at the time, but when I said I'd always come back to her I did mean it. "…And me." I say finally. "Don't worry Diana. We'll all do everything we can for her."
"Starting with picking up Lumír tomorrow," Severa declares, "Which reminds me: it's getting late. We should find a spot to make camp. You want to split up and look Diana?"
Diana nods, banking to the right with King. Severa directs Bobby to the left, and we continue flying well out of earshot.
"You really are good at flying, huh?" I note, watching closely as Severa leads the wyvern around. "Who taught you how to ride a wyvern? Cherche?"
"She only taught me a little." Severa replies, trying her best to appear indifferent. "I was only ten when she died. After that I mostly learned from you."
"Me?" I blink in surprise.
"Wait, did we never mention?" Severa gives me a startled look. "You had a wyvern in that timeline as well. Not Bobby though, a different one. You… you actually befriended him during the first fight of the Plegian war in that time."
"The fight that I missed this time because I was recovering from my trauma." I nod in understanding.
Severa flinches at that. "Right… That… That was why I never mentioned it." She then proceeds to grumble under her breath about how stupid she is for forgetting about that, which I politely ignore.
"So, tell me about this other wyvern." I say after a moment.
"His name was Nocturne, but we usually called him Noct for short. He was mean. Or… well he didn't misbehave, I suppose. He just wasn't as friendly, but it meant he always scared me a little. And he was smaller than Bobby. Bobby is a big bruiser, but Noct was built more for speed. You always bragged that he could turn nearly as tight as a pegasus. He barely ever interacted with anyone besides you. Though he liked Diana and Noire."
"Not you?"
"Apparently he thought I was too loud." Severa mutters. "He liked Noire though, because I think even though he was scary and not very affectionate he liked protecting people. And Noire always needed lots of protecting. And Diana just has an… aura about her. Yarne always used to say being around her felt relaxing, when she wasn't pulling pranks or practicing her arm locks. Guess Noct felt the same."
"Huh… so what happened to him?"
"Don't know. He disappeared the same time you did. We barely found a trace of you, and we never saw a sign of Noct."
"Did you see him when you fought at the border in this timeline?"
"I did." Severa says stiffly. "He… didn't make it. I tried to just kill his rider, but I couldn't get close. Miriel ended up shooting him down before I could figure out how to save him."
"Ah." I wince, placing my hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"It's fine," Severa says in that voice that tells me she's trying to convince herself as much as she's trying to convince me, "We never liked each other much anyways. And at least Diana wasn't there for that part. I told her he's off living in the wild now."
Knowing Severa's lying ability Diana must have seen through that in a heartbeat. And it hasn't escaped my notice that Noire would have been there to see Nocturne's death. Everywhere I look with these kids I find a little more trauma that I didn't know about before. And as per usual I can't help but feel woefully underequipped to deal with it.
"Diana's circling." Severa says, dragging my attention away from the subject for the hundredth time too many, "Looks like she found a spot."
I can't wait for us to get back to Ylisse and not have a fucking war to worry about for the next two years. These kids need some time to just live for a while. Hopefully it will help make up for all the things and people they've lost. All the childhood they've missed.
Out of all the people I've met since coming to this world, Christoph is… well, not the weirdest, not by a long shot. But certainly he's the strangest man I've met who isn't a member of the Shepherds. Part scientist, part artist, part father, and wholly insane but in a mad genius sort of way. He stands apart from the typical stuffy nobles you'd meet, even in in a place like Regna Ferox, and it made him an interesting guy to be around.
I've seen his place before, when I was working with him on our big production in Arena Ferox last year. It was a nice looking house, though by the standards of the nobility he was well below average. A small mansion on a modest estate, which had fallen on hard times since an illness had ravaged many of the people working under him a few years back. His primary source of income was lumber, as is the case for most folks in Eastern Ferox, and the lands he was in charge of were barely scraping by when we met. Made things difficult for him, especially when a certain slaver kidnapped and attempted to sell his child for ransom.
Well, he's not likely to have that sort of problem anymore, at least.
Word has reached me through the grapevine that after our show Christoph made it big as a performer. The man who once played his cello for the sake of making his son laugh and the more pompous nobles sneer is now playing to the cheers and whistles of thousands of adoring fans. It could only happen in a nation like Regna Ferox, where the Arena can be counted on to draw in a massive crowd. The Arena is only ever active once the snow has melted and the bitter chill of winter has faded away, but as soon as that time came this year Christoph started making bank, arranging all sorts of deals with those in charge of running the Arena. He and the other musicians he's been hiring act as half-time performers of sorts, entertaining the crowds in between fights.
Haven't had a chance to confirm this, but I am all but certain the Annas are involved in this somehow.
The result is a once minor noble who has created a whole new industry for himself, bringing patrons to the Arena for music as much as for violent spectacle. The man is a performer, an inventor, and a talent scout, allegedly aiming to use his newfound fame to revolutionize the performing arts.
And the revenue his successes have brought him seem to have had quite the effect on his property.
"This… is the right place, isn't it?" I mutter, staring at a mansion that appears to be triple the size I remember, and the other massive buildings sprouting on the ground that definitely weren't there when I last visited this place not even a year ago.
"Of course this is it!" Severa scoffs, "Why do you look so shocked? Your stupid concert practically paid for half of this!"
"Good lord…" I mutter looking at the grounds now decorated with elegant statues and elaborate topiary, "He really is living like a rock star now, isn't he?"
Said rock star is waiting at the front door to the mansion when we make our descent. Oddly enough, his physical appearance is almost exactly the same as I remember. Unfocused eyes, wild grey hair that appropriately enough seems to resemble old paintings of Beethoven, and well-worn clothing designed for comfort rather than to impress.
"Benjamin! My friend, it is good to see you again, yes so very good!" Christoph calls out with a crooked grin. "And your daughters, hello, you are both looking lovely and well!"
"Hello again, Duke Lunarius." Diana says, bowing in greetings. A part of my mind comes crashing to a halt at that; I have literally never heard this man's proper title used before. How the heck did Diana learn it?
At my daughter's surprisingly courteous greeting Christoph's face pulls into a frown, "Christoph, please. Never cared much for that silly title. Like a jacket too tight to properly fit into."
"Um… sorry?" Diana winces, "I forgot."
And just like that, the frown is gone. Christoph immediately calms once more, a relaxed smile spreading across his face. "No harm done child, no harm done! Though I cannot say the same for you, my friend!" Christoph gasps, looking at my newly scarred hand in alarm. "Magical burning? Has it impacted your hands at all?"
"Nothing noticeable." I reply, flexing my hand for show, "I got lucky. Was able to heal the worst of the damage nearly immediately."
"Wonderful. Wonderful!" Christoph laughs. "For you to be unable to use your fingers now, after everything I've worked on… it would be a tragedy! Truly horrid!" He eagerly beckons the three of us along, moving into the doorway. "Come, come! My servants will see to your mounts while you are here, you may trust them to their most capable hands. We have so much to discuss!"
The man is exactly as I remember: a whirlwind personified. I pat Bobby on the neck reassuringly as the staff approaches, "Don't worry Bobby, you'll be just fine here. Come on girls, let's go."
"I feel like we're walking into the mouth of a dragon." Severa mutters as she follows behind me, "This guy is so weird! Are you sure it was alright leaving Lumír here?"
"Completely." I reply without hesitation. Christoph certainly is weird, I can't argue with Severa on that one. But he's also a good dad. The way he always, always dropped what he was doing whenever his son walked in on the two of us during work says a lot to his skills in that regard. Christoph has three priorities in his life: his son, the people under his jurisdiction, and his music. In that order.
Well, if I'm being honest music does sometimes fight with his duties as a noble for second place. But the fact remains, I didn't just send Lumír to him because I don't have many friends outside of the Shepherds. He's very qualified to look after kids, even if he doesn't look it.
So I have little trouble leading the way into Severa's imaginary dragon mouth, and looking around appreciatively at the décor. "I see you've redone the floor in here. And refinished the banisters."
"Yes, it's all very exciting!" Christoph nods along, gesturing about as he leads us further into the mansion, "Now that I have the funds for it, I've been renovating the home so that it is fit to entertain. For hosting parties, or private concerts, that sort of thing. It will be good for scouting new talent. And for Caius; he needs more chances to socialize. I realized I had been falling short in that regard after seeing him with your son."
"Is that so?" my focus sharpens hearing him mention Lumír.
"Yes, the two became fast friends. It took seeing how close they became to realize that Caius needs to spend more time with children his age. Especially now that the war is over." Christoph stops suddenly, turning back to me, "I do hope you'll bring your boy back to visit from time to time."
"If Lumír and Caius are as close as you say I'd be a fool not to." I agree easily. "Our nations remain close friends after all. There'll be nothing stopping me from bringing him north, especially once I learn how to properly ride my wyvern."
"Then I did notice your daughter holding the reins…" He comments, looking to a suddenly very uncomfortable Severa.
"My daughters are far more talented fliers than I am." I chuckle.
"Knock it off Dad, it's not a big deal!" Severa grumbles, flushing bright red.
"Oh, my mistake then." I reply jokingly.
"I thought the landing looked rather skillful myself…" Christoph notes, before taking pity on my poor tsundere daughter, "But I suppose I know very little about wyvern riding. At any rate, once you have mastered it, you must be sure to return. When children are young, it falls upon the parent's shoulders to ensure their friendships do not drift apart!"
"That's a good way to look at it." I nod in agreement. "Speaking of which, where are the boys now?"
"Ah, wandering about exploring the new corridors and rooms of the mansion, I'm sure." Christoph nods. "I did tell them that you'd be coming today, but children lack the patience to wait in place. Worry not, the maids are sure to keep a watchful eye on them. We shall round up the young adventurers soon enough! But afterwards, I do hope you'll stay. For lunch of course, but also so I can show you what I have been working on! Several of my projects have borne fruit, and I do believe you'll find the results to be very exciting!"
Finding the two kids proves easier than expected, largely because I find I'm able to hear them from halfway across the mansion. Caius was always an energetic boy, so that much isn't particularly surprising, but the fact that I can hear Lumír as well is what's truly shocking. He still doesn't speak, but it seems that Christoph has had some inspiration in solving that problem.
"You gave him a recorder." I note as we follow the sound of shrieking laughter and trilling notes.
"I gave him a voice!" Christoph declares proudly.
"I have… very mixed feelings on this." I say, as we round the corner. "It sounds like a brilliant idea for Lumír, on the one hand. Letting him have an option to speak up, even if only through an instrument… a part of me fully recognizes how good that will be for him."
"And the other part?" Christoph asks with an absolutely shit eating grin. Yeah, he knows exactly what he's done, the bastard.
"The other part recognizes all the future headaches you have caused me. You gave a noisemaker to a three year old and told him to go wild."
"Four year old, actually." Diana supplies helpfully. "His birthday was last month."
"Oh." I reply eloquently. I knew about his birthday. Severa mentioned it to me the other day. But apparently I didn't actually know what age he was.
"They certainly grow up fast, don't they?" Christoph continues, seemingly unbothered by the slipup. "And learn fast too, yes! Never you fear, your boy seems to share in your talent for the musical arts. He's a fast learner. I daresay he'll even be able to play proper songs soon!"
I listen to the steadily growing sound of the recorder and note the way most of the noise I'm hearing is the same tone, just being broken up oddly for whatever purpose my son seems to have decided is fitting. Hmm. Yeah he clearly hasn't been playing for very long. He's clearly very good at getting sound out of the thing, but it sounds like he's still working on making the type of sound change.
I mention as much to Christoph and he chuckles. "Oh, it's not as bad as all that. The boy has been learning some basic scales. He simply hasn't learned to express himself properly with the full breadth of his repertoire! Soon he will expand his voice, as he learns to appreciate the feel of the different notes he can play! He's not a musician yet, but that's fine. Teaching him music can come in time, for now that wasn't the real purpose." He gestures to my girls at that, and I immediately understand. Diana's begun to tear up beside me, and Severa is rubbing at her eyes as discreetly as she can.
Yeah, I get what he's saying. And why this is fine for now. Christoph gave my son a voice. Leave it to a mad genius musician to come up with a solution like this. It's making me feel happy to hear this, but to my daughters, who have had to watch first hand as their brother became silent… this must be overwhelming to them.
We finally catch up with the kids a few minutes later, following the sound of that recorder all the way to what looks like a ballroom, with a raised stage in the back. The boys have climbed onto the stage and are jumping and dancing around, pretend performing for a pretend audience. Several of Christoph's staff are arranged around the stage, clapping along politely.
When we enter the room Lumír takes immediate notice. The dancing stops immediately, the recorder is lowered, his face lights up with joy. Before anyone can say anything he eagerly throws himself off the stage, giving everyone a near heart-attack before one of Christoph's maids manages to catch him. If he's aware of the scare that gives us though he doesn't show any signs of caring, running headlong into Diana and Severa's arms.
My kids are finally reunited again. And unlike last time, I'll do what I can to make sure they can stay together as a family.
"You look troubled, my friend." Christoph comments to me an hour later, once we've finished lunch and are watching the kids play in Christoph's garden. "You've been reunited with your son. This should be a good thing!"
"Should be, yeah." I remark, watching Severa grumble halfheartedly as Lumír leads her around the garden by the hand. The boy looks happy, until his gaze darts to meet mine, and he suddenly withdraws a little. "But I guess it's occurring to me now just how much I have my work cut out for me."
"Hmm." Christoph nods thoughtfully. "You are worried about raising him."
"And worried I might have screwed things up already. I sent the kid over here the same day I decided to take him in. I know there was a war going on, but still… I haven't been much of a dad to him so far. And… I'm not sure if I'm ready to be."
"But you are committed, yes?" Christoph's gaze sharpens.
"Of course." I reply immediately, "Just… unprepared."
"That's normal." Christoph smiles, "Nobody is truly ready to be a parent. The degree of responsibility it requires is far more than anyone could prepare for. There's nothing it can be compared to, no way to truly understand the depth of the responsibility you're accepting. Even your own daughters provide poor example. They're already growing into mature and independent young women, even if they still rely on you for much. But Lumír… he will need you far more even than them. You are the template by which he will build himself. I remember when my wife was lost, and I was left to raise Caius alone…" He smiles sadly, staring off into the distance.
For a moment it feels, like I'm seeing some vestige of an older Christoph. One who was lost to the world when this unnamed wife of his died. The moment passes quickly though, as he straightens back up and grins at me, "Well, at any rate! You have much work ahead of you, but I don't doubt your capability. You are a hero! One who saves children from monsters and slays evil kings."
"Is that what they're saying?" I groan. "Don't believe a word of it, Gangrel kicked my ass. It was my daughter's friend who killed him."
"Oh? Word of the war was that it was you. Mad King Gangrel brought low by the warrior of Ylisse, Ben the Butcher!" He pauses a moment and wrinkles his nose at that. "A dreadful nickname, by the way. You really should have come up with something less barbaric."
"Believe me, I had no say in it." I reply dryly. "Some of Kahn Flavia's people came up with it last winter and I've been stuck with it ever since."
"Ah, that makes much more sense. I should have known a man with your stage presence wouldn't have chosen something so garish." Christoph shakes his head, "I love my country dearly, but sometimes I do have to question their tastes."
"Even if those tastes are what pay your bills now?"
"Ha! That my friend, is merely a sign that there is yet hope for them!" Christoph grins, eyes gleaming. "And when they see what I have in store for them, they shall find their minds have been forced to expand once more! Which reminds me! I have a workshop to show you!" He leaps to his feet, and points off in a seemingly random direction dramatically, "Let us away!"
Christoph's workshop turns out to be one of the newer buildings on his property. It's a fairly small building, but he seems to have hired several skilled craftsmen to work full time on creating new instruments for himself and the musicians he's been hiring to test out. Amazing the things money can buy in this world.
Amazing, and very exciting, because most of the ideas for these instruments are based off of discussions he's had with me in the past.
Back when I was trying to create the best approximation of a rock concert I could possibly manage in preparation for the arena fight, I spent a lot of time figuring out exactly what sort of instruments and stage effects I had access to. Naturally, the answers I received to most of my queries were rather disappointing.
But while I saw the conversations as a disappointment, Christoph apparently saw only possibilities. He took everything about my ideas, took notes, and even took the little drawing I made while trying to explain what I was looking for. And once he had the funding and the people he got to work.
And this man… invented the motherfucking guitar.
"I don't even play guitar and I'm still feeling choked up." I gasp in amazement, running my hands over the smooth, polished wood of the acoustic guitar Christoph is displaying. I strum the strings and feel even more emotional. Don't need to play the guitar to know it's tuned properly. "How did you manage this?"
"Your drawing captured the shape rather well." Christoph replies, patting the instrument fondly. "And I know string instruments rather well. It is similar enough to the cello that I found it relatively simple to create. And quite fun to play. I find myself feeling less constrained when playing it than when playing my cello. Though in that aspect it does mean my playing lacks a certain sense of intensity. It is only when struggling against my instrument that I produce my finest work, the two of us battling and yet toiling together, a battle that is like a dance that is filled with such beauty! …But yes, this guitar is quite fun in its own way."
"I always was a bit interested in learning, but… there were always other things going on in my life. Other instruments I preferred playing as well."
"Like your saxophone, yes?" Christoph asks, leaning closer.
"Exactly like my saxophone, yes…" I reply, before noticing the eager grin on Christoph's face. "You didn't."
Christoph's grin grows a little wider.
Needless to say, I have greatly underestimated just how much of a mad genius Christoph is. Not to mention the craftsmen working under him. Because after a moment, they bring out a curved piece of brass that brings literal tears to my eyes.
"How?" I gasp, taking the saxophone into my hands and running my hand reverently along the curve of its elbow. It all looks so perfect… but wait, that doesn't mean the keys are spaced properly, or that the instrument is properly tuned… "Does it play?"
"I believe it should meet your standards." Christoph snaps his fingers, and a servant brings me a reed. I pop it into my mouth and hastily start fixing the neck strap, running my fingers appraisingly across the keys, watching the different levers as they shift in a way that certainly looks similar to the saxophones I loved playing back home. I can barely stop my hands from shaking as I finally fit the reed, hold the horn to my mouth, and blow into it.
The note is full, and crisp, with that bright, buzzing quality I fell in love with as a teenager. And as I press down on the keys one by one every note that follows it falls perfectly into place. I find myself remembering high school, when my father first bought me my sax, a brand new unlacquered Custom Z tenor, and I felt like the king of the damn world. Back when I practiced all the time, and took every solo I could get my hands on, and conquered songs well above the high school level with a sense of exhilaration that increased with every bar of music I mastered. I still had that saxophone in my bedroom the day I was dragged into this world. It didn't get played as much as it did when I first got it, but I still loved that horn all the same.
My fingers dance across the keys as I remember those old days. An old tune I barely remember, the hardest one I ever learned. Whiplash. It doesn't have half the polish it did back when I practiced that big sax soli every day for a month. But it's better than I've played it in a long time. Between my normal skill level, and my ability back when I lived and breathed that song… I'd say I'm averaging out to the level of that movie with the drummer that came out a few years before I got sent here. Though I quickly reach the point where I don't remember the notes anymore and taper off without actually finishing the song properly.
When all is said and done I look up at Christoph, lower the horn from my mouth and tell him in a level voice, "Name your price."
"Price?" Christoph laughs, "As far as the paperwork is concerned, you invented this instrument. It's yours."
They bring me the case for the saxophone, an elegant box to match the horn, wrapped in darkened leather. And I put it away with a feeling of reverence. And then I turn to the kids, who have been watching all of this and say, "Kids, this is your new sibling. Say hello."
Diana and Lumír blink in surprise and confusion. Severa rolls her eyes and tells me to shut up. All according to plan.
The saxophone is slung across my shoulder as we continue. Even the weight feels familiar. Which is how I know my nostalgia is getting the better of me, because I always used to carry my saxophone by hand, not the shoulder strap.
The rest of the tour is a myriad of experimental stage effects, prototype instruments, and expert craftsmen at work. The only instruments that have actually been completed are the guitar and the tenor sax, but I get to see him working on other variants, as well as improving on many of the instruments this world has already invented. It look like my talks with Christoph inspired him to completely revolutionize the world of music.
That's made the most clear when he concludes by showing me a special testing chamber where he has two mages working. The man's next big goal seems to be to work with the expert wind mages of Arena Ferox to distort the sound they're trained to amplify. Basically, they're learning how to modulate music. Depending on how well their experiments go they could potentially learn to completely synthesize music.
I'm suddenly struck by the mental image of two mages in Daft Punk helmets, the image made complete with big floppy hats on top.
The future shows much promise.
Once the tour is over, and I've finished being shown the ways I've accidentally given this world a music-themed tech upgrade, the time comes to wrap things up. The boys give each other a teary farewell, with me promising to bring Lumír back to visit. Severa and I climb onto Bobby, while Diana and Lumír ride King, and we take off. Christoph and Caius rapidly become distant specks behind us, and before long even Christoph's estate has vanished into the horizon.
All that's left to do is to wait in Gelida Dominus for the Shepherds to arrive. One Cordelia is with us we can finally tell my kids what's really going on. It… won't be a fun conversation. But after the troubles we've faced already, I think we can overcome this.
We land in Gelida Dominus by the end of the evening.
I'm arrested and confined to my room by Khan Flavia's guards less than five minutes later.
What, you thought this happy chapter would get a happy ending? Ha! This is Whispers and Songs, you fools! You want Ben to go a chapter without something awful happening to him go read Throne of Mud instead, because it sure ain't happening here.
Anyways, I do hope that we all enjoyed this nice fun family outing... Because I definitely have some concerns about this one. Or rather, how I've been doling out certain information up to this point. Christoph was never going to be an important character, but I did originally have more plans to show him before. Not often mind you, but enough that this chapter's focus on him might not feel so jarring. Not that I know if it really feels jarring, just something I'm paranoid about. But yeah, he was going to appear once or twice before this in my original plans, but those were all cut for the sake of brevity. Not sure if I made the right call there, so some feedback on this chapter would definitely be appreciated!
Next up, it's time for another interlude chapter! Get ready to see exactly how and why shit is hitting the fan. You know, other than my pathological need to make my characters suffer. And in the meantime, as always, I encourage you all to come to the Fanfiction Treehouse discord, for an excellent community with lots of excellent stories.
discord .gg/9XG3U7a
