Chapter 8 - Learning for life

"Hello Zexion," he was greeted as he entered the salon the next day around afternoon. He eyed the sitting woman with a hint of suspiciousness and stayed at the doorframe. "My name's Ms. Venable and I'll teach you from today on. Come sit next to me and we can start the lesson." Zexion walked very slowly to the offered seat and much more slowly took it. She just smiled warmly at him, her voice was a little dark for a small woman like her but very kindly in his ears.

"Tell me, Zexion, can you write some things already or can we start with the basics?"

"I can write my name."

"Very well, then take the pen- let's us a pen and not a quill for the start- and write your name here." Again Zexion hesitated a little. The unpleasant memory floated in his mind from yesterdays lesson.

"Uh... in which hand?" He asked her unsure. He heard a little laugh from her.

"Whichever you like more of course!" So he took the pen in his left hand and started to write his name. His teacher always looking concentrated at his work.

"Hmh, and anything else you can write?"

"Uh..." he mumbled something incoherently.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't get that."

"... my sister's name..." She just nodded and gestured to the sheet.

"Then write her name." After some seconds of no movement Zexion wrote down the name that haunted him since the day she'd died. "Zione," she read aloud as he finished. "Very well. You do know the letters from your name. And from now on we'll go through the alphabet starting with, of course, A."

"So the new teacher is a better one than the last?" Demyx asked as he cut his meat absently. It was dinnertime and according with the sleeping habits of the house's master it took place comparably late in the evening.

Zexion nodded over the flowers on the table towards Demyx. "Yes, Master, she's very nice."

"So there's no need to replace her?" Zexion shook his head. Somehow he still couldn't meet the vampires eyes. "Good, I hoped she would be a success since she was recommended by a business partner. Artur will teach you in the basics of calculating and we'll see if Ms. Venable can also teach you how to play the piano. I hold the view that music is still the best for the soul to gain peace."

"Should I call a coach for later?" Artur asked later.

"For what?" Demyx looked puzzled. It was funny how childish his face could look like if he was caught off guard.

"Your travel to Portugal of course." Artur gave him a 'don't say anything stupid like you always do' -look over his glass of wine. "I know you don't like to travel by ship but you should at least take a coach to the sea-side. As a high ranked business man you owe that your own reputation." Demyx gave a small 'oh' but said nothing.

Later after the dinner they gathered in the entrance hall, Zexion was so tired at this point it was heavy for him to keep his eyes open. He briefly wondered how Demyx would get to Portugal when didn't like it to travel by ship.

"Zexion I want you to study hard until I come back," Demyx squealed his shoulder and threw him a last gentle smile before he vanished through the door in company with Artur.

Soon after Demyx had gone on his travel to Portugal a daily routine found itself in Zexion's life. Standing up early to help Madam Mireille with the household, a lesson with Artur around noon (he really liked calculating. It was something that seemed to have hidden in him) and at 3 o'clock Ms. Venable would show up to teach him for 3 more hours. Twice a week she would stay longer so he could practice at the big black wing in Demyx' saloon. He was never to fond of that, because the natural feeling for music was lacking in him.

The routine was sometimes broken when the lessons with Artur got in the background when he had to deliver a message or some goods for him. Today he was sent to the docks with a envelope which contained some waybills for a captain who shipped some of Master Demyx' tobacco. It was strange to see the part of London, which was once his home, after a week of absence again. Never before he 'd been away for longer than a day from the docks and the dirtier districts.

"Zexion, is that you?" he turned at the call from behind. There stood a wasted looking woman in the door of the lokal bakery. It was the baker's wife or better said: the bakers widow. He'd passed away years ago and his mother had ever been sure that she'd poisoned her own husband.

"It is you!" she exclaimed happily. "I haven't seen you and your sister around for a while. I heard that Bill's after you two. Where is she?" Zexion was able to keep his face straight.

"She's dead, Mrs. Baker." Since she was now in charge of the fresh bread everybody just called her Mrs. Baker. She clicked sympathetically with her tongue. There was no need to ask for the how or who or when. Mrs. Baker had also grown up in those parts of town where you always have to fear for your life, so she asked instead. "And what about you now?"

"I'm fine. I got work as a delivery boy from a rich tradesman." Well that wasn't the truth but not a lie either. She seemed to sense that and rose a eyebrow in question.

"You did? And? Does he treat you well?"

"Anything's better than here." He told her but halted as he had to think about it. Was he treated well?

"You're damn right. But don't sell yourself under worth. You're a good boy, Zexion." said boy nodded at this.

"I get payed pretty good and have a roof, that's more than I've expected. I've gotta go now, Mrs. Baker."

"Take care of yourself!" she called after him. I hope I can, he thought absently. Don't self yourself under worth. That'd been her words. Well, he would try to do so.

Today was his forth piano lesson and still it more sounded as if a cat walked over the keys instead of a steady and beautiful flow of a melody. Thank god Ms. Venable was a patient person by nature, but even she now rubbed her temples with her fingers. He threw her an apolitical look. It was true that his talents didn't have their main base in music but the first reason his fingers trembled so hard was the room they were in. It was Master Demyx' salon and right behind his back was the door which lead to the bedroom.

His teacher sighed a little but kept her smile on her lips as she said, "well, Zexion, let's start again from the begin-" She was cut short from the banging sound of a door threwn open. Both in surprise Ms. Venable and Zexion turned in their seats and looked at the previous closed door. Now said door was open an reviled a half naked Demyx with messed up hair and heavy eyes. The open shirt didn't hide anything from his pale upper body.

"No! Please! Don't start again... just..." he inhaled heavy as if suddenly aware about the two pairs of round eyes watching him in shock. "I... just... I'll buy you a knew piano... somewhere else in the house... but please... just stop... it for today."

Ms. Venable was the first that found her voice back. "We're very sorry, my lord. We thought you're still on business trip so it would be okay to play here." She was understandably a little nervous around the lord of the house whom she never met before but who payed her bills.

"... it's ok... just go down and torture the wing no longer... ok?" The two humans nodded and made their way out of the saloon with a adequate hurry, while Demyx was about to close his bedroom door.

"Oh! Zexion!" he called after them. "I want you to come up here when it's about dinner time."

well, hello there. this chapter was a kind of art trade with the talented cosplay and drawing artist Siren. you can find her cosplay and art accounts on dA http : // akarui-siren . deviantart. com/ and http : // forbidden-siren . deviantart. com/ (you know the game: copy the link and delete the spaces) I promised her an early special-just-for-you preview of the story while she drew me this wonderful fanart!

http : // forbidden-siren . / art / Midnight-Moon-Vampire-109755413

and the teacher Miss Venable in this chapter here has an actual person as paragon. you know who you are and I wuv you!