Music Be The Biped's Love

"Come on, Quincey," Mrs. Holmwood said to her five-year-old son. Quincey looked up at his mother, a Rafinesque demon like himself and his father, with her auburn hair hanging to her shoulders and chestnut fur. Her eyes were solid, like his, though more honey-brown than shock-lot. Dressed in a loose, baby blue dress, she looked every inch the doting mother.

"Mama, where we goin'?" Quincey asked, lisping a bit through one lost fang.

"To meet one of Mama's old friends at the park," his mama said, and she smiled. "She has a daughter your age and they finally have time to meet. You'll have a new friend, too."

"M'kay, Mama," Quincey said.

They made it to the slayground and his mama led him over to a witch woman with rich, dark skin and red-golden hair tied into a long braid, her eyes pale blue. She was dressed in a casual, charcoal skirt-suit with a crimson shirt, tights and short, heeled shoes. Sitting next to her on the park bench was a little girl with similar dark skin and silvery hair that matched her eyes, dressed in a red dress with dark sleeves and dark tights.

"Mina!" the woman said brightly, standing from the bench and kissing Mama's cheek in a sisterly way. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you, too, Lasha," his Mama said.

The lady, Mrs. Lasha, looked down at him and smiled even wider. She had a nice smile. "And this must be Quincey." She knelt and held a hand to shake. "Hello there, young man."

"Hi," Quincey said softly, shaking her hand.

"You're quite a handsome boy," Mrs. Lasha said.

"Is that little Skara I see back there?" Mama asked theatrically. The little girl was hiding a bit behind her mother, peeking out from behind the woman's wide hips.

"Skara, come on, sweetheart," Mrs. Lasha said, holding out her hand. The girl, Skara, took it and let her mother guide her forward to stand in front of Quincey. "Sweetie, this is Mrs. Mina and her son, Quincey," Mrs. Lasha. "Mrs. Mina is a dear friend of mine. Why don't you say hello?"

"Hello," Skara said, her hands clasped at her waist.

"Do you wanna play?" Quincey asked with a smile, blinking his solid brown eyes under a mop of blond.

"Sure," Skara said, her own eyes wide and shining. Quincey took her hand and they ran off to the jungle gym.

"I like your eyes," Skara said as they started climbing.

"Oh!" Quincey replied in surprise. No one except his mama and papa had ever said that. Most kids seemed to be kinda scared of his eyes. "Thanks," he said, smiling widely to bare his fangs with glee. "Thanks a lot! I like your smile!" That made her smile appear again, with pure joy.

He had a sudden feeling that he and Skara were going to be good friends!

Quincey shook himself from his flashback as he packed up his beastkeeping gear. Class had ended with a bit of freetime, and apparently he thought it was a good idea to reminisce about the first time he'd met his now-girlfriend. He looked around the grounds outside the school stables where most of the classes took place, when they weren't in the classroom attached to said stables, and took a breath of the grassy air.

When the school bell screamed, he shouldered his satchel and waved to a few fellow Beastkeeping students as he made his way not toward the school, but toward the grudgby field. Though his shaggy, blond hair covered his eyes, he had been navigating by hearing for so long — as Rafinesque demons could — that it was second nature by now.

Quincey summoned his bull palisman, Blue, as he approached the stands, shushing Blue as he hung back and brushed his bangs aside to watch today's flyer derby practice with his solid, shock-lot brown eyes. All of the five Emerald Entrails were floating on their staffs close to the ground as Willow Park, the captain of the team, gave directions for drills and other practice-related stuff. Gus Porter and Viney Primrose mostly listened and nodded, while Hunter Wittebane piped in every now and then.

And Skara, she spoke almost as much as Willow did. Willow even seemed to defer to her in a few areas, Quincey's large ears twitching at fragments of Skara's explanations of ideas for any number of tactics and strategies for the upcoming game. Willow often had to gently pull her back on track when she got distracted, but Skara took it with good grace.

With that, they split up into groups and began drills. Quincey raised an eyebrow at Skara pairing with Hunter, while Willow, Viney, and Gus played against them for what appeared to be rush maneuvers — tactics to scatter an opposing team so that another can race for the goals to hang flags. According to Skara, she was usually paired with Viney against the "Emerald Trio," as Willow, Gus, and Hunter had been called lately. Then again, maybe that was the point: to break them out of their comfort zones now before a match forced them out of it with disastrous results.

Quincey snorted to himself as he recalled one of he and Skara's recent dates, a chartered boat to the stretches of a cove at the Right Hand where lots of glowing sea monsters lived. "Should I be worried that Viney'll snatch you away?" he had asked teasingly, leaning his head against her temple.

"Of course not," Skara had chirped, leaning back into his chest from their seat on the boat. "You're my guy, Q." She giggled. "Plus, she's got her thing with Amity's brother. So there's that."

That had devolved into a tickle fight that had ended when the luminescent sea serpents had started rearing their heads in a beautiful display that had them holding each other in joy.

Quincey leaned against the stands, hidden in their shadow, and his eyes twinkled as he watched Skara strum powerful chords on her lyre to scatter the others so that Hunter could zip through them and hang up flags. Then they would all take the flags down and reset, so that Hunter could unleash a barrage of lightning bolts to scatter and blind them all to leave an opening for Skara to dart in.

As the practice continued, the quintet shuffled the pairs and trios so that as many combinations got to work together as possible. He snorted with amusement at Willow and Hunter working together the most seamlessly. It was almost as if they'd been practicing outside of practice. He bit back a chuckle at his internal sarcasm.

As for when Skara and Viney worked together … He could see why some might be whispering about their closeness. They clearly trusted each other, and had apparently been becoming noticeably good friends even outside of the team. Quincey had an inside track on knowing that, but even outside eyes had noticed and he himself could see why rumors might start swirling. He lightly shook his head to brush the thoughts away. He trusted Skara deeply, and knew she cared as much for him as he did for her.

Which, in more than one way, was why he was here.

Quincey waited with patient entertainment until the practice wound down, the Entrails gathering for some last-minute updates and discussions. When it seemed everything had been settled, Quincey grinned and sub-audibly whistled for Blue to transform into his staff, which he swept up and hung from as it flew over the field toward them, letting go to drop soundlessly behind Skara and say into her ear, "Boo."

Skara yelped and whirled, her hair practically bristling with sudden ire, but she relaxed and squealed with joy when she realized who he was, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug that he joyfully returned around her waist.

"Sorry to crash the practice," Quincey said as he and Skara separated, though they still leaned their shoulders against each other, her head on his shoulder. He looked particularly at Willow as he added, "I wasn't sure if visitors were prohibited like in grudgby."

"As long as people aren't a distraction," Willow said with a smile. She gestured with her fingers woven with Hunter's, her cheeks pinking. "I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't let boyfriends or girlfriends visit."

"Edric likes to come by before or after practice," Viney said with a fond smile. "He schedules his lessons with the Owl Lady during."

"Plus Luz and Amity like to come around," Gus added, rolling his eyes at his teammates' romances. "Sometimes Emira will tag along with them or Edric."

"See?" Quincey whispered into Skara's ear. "I told you Willow was a good friend."

Skara giggled and playfully batted at his chest. "Do you guys need anything else for this practice?" she asked, briskly but not unkindly.

"I think we're good," Hunter said drolly. "You go have fun or," he waved her off with his free hand in a manner similar to Head Witch Darius, "whatever it is you do."

"Glad we have your stamp of approval," Quincey commented with an easy grin and a familiar nod from their shared Beastkeeping classes. "Wittebane."

"Holmwood," Hunter replied with a faint grin and identical nod.

"Bye, guys," Skara said, waving energetically before leading Quincey away. Her smile grew just a little at feeling the fond smiles at her and Quincey's back. Skara whistled without magic and Ella, her dear nightingale palisman, flitted up two wingbeats to transform into her staff for Skara to catch with that warmly familiar motion, one as natural as breathing. Blue seemed to take that cue and transformed as well, Quincey catching him with the same thoughtless closeness.

"I'm guessing you have something in mind?" Skara asked coyly.

"You know it, girl," Quincey grinned, and swept onto his staff. "Come on."

"Oh, a surprise!" Skara laughed, mounting her staff, too. They raced away from Hexside in a pair of blurs, racing with the wind as Quincey led the way toward the falling sun.

Skara had always prided herself on her ability to multitask. Whether it be juggling school work with grudgby, planning to co-play on the Banshees and the Emerald Entrails, or fighting while coordinating forces on the Day of Unity, she had a gift for keeping her tasks separate, where they needed to be.

Another example was now. On one hand, she was processing where Quincey might be leading her and what it might entail — examining landmarks, tracking positions of the coast and sun, and so on. On the other hand, she was enjoying a romantic flight with her boyfriend as the sky turned pink and the wispy clouds with them.

They were headed south, and judging by the flight away from the coast it would be a rather long flight. Perfect for a Frightday night. "My parents are expecting me," Skara prodded with a teasing smile in her voice.

"I called your mom with the plan," Quincey said promptly. "She convinced your dad, no problem."

Skara giggled at that. It had not taken Quincey long to realize that the two women in her father's life had him wrapped around their fingers. Not long, that is, into their friendship, much less their romance.

As they flew, Skara found herself thinking back to those late days in their friendship that were also the earliest days more something more.

She recalled the day she and Quincey had been introduced by their mothers. It remained one of the most carefreely happy memories she had. And their moms had put in the effort to make sure they stayed in touch, even with Skara's parents' social climbing taking up most of their free time.

She thought about when that easy childhood friendship had begun to change. The day that out of nowhere she had noticed how broad Quincey's shoulders had become. A subtle spotlight seemed to shine on him when he found a baby bird that had fallen from its nest and tenderly scooped it up to climb a tree and slip it back into safety. How the sight of his eyes that seemed to unnerve so many but had always made her smile … now made her knees shake.

She'd struggled for six months of keeping her lips closed on the matter, especially to Boscha, until Quincey had asked her to meet him at a clawfee shop toward the end of summer break.

"Do you remember that place?" he'd asked, pointing with one hand out the front window where they sat, the other curled around a steaming paper cup.

"It's where we first met," Skara replied with a smile as she sipped from the scaramel clawfee in her own hand. And indeed it had been. The very slayground where Mina and Lasha had introduced them and they had played together.

"The place where a friendship was born," Quincey agreed with a smile. A tense one, as if he were nervous. "A friendship that I treasure," his hand twitched before he slowly placed it upon hers, "more than anything in the world."

Skara's breathing hitched, her heart fluttering.

"Skara," Quincey breathed, his smile growing more frightened by the second. "I-" He coughed and swallowed. "I-" He shuddered and released her hand to bury his face in both of his. "I'm scared," he sighed.

"Why?" Skara asked, mind whirling. What was going on? It was almost as if …

"I want to ask you out," he admitted, sliding his hands up his face to brush back his bangs and show his eyes, even as he darted them away from hers. "I have for a while now." He shrunk in on himself. "I'm sorry. This was a dumb idea."

"No, it wasn't," Skara breathed, reaching out to quickly take his hand in hers. "It was really sweet," she said. Her cheeks were obviously red beneath her dark skin by now … and she took a chance. She brushed her thumb along the back of Quincey's hand. "Keep going," she said.

"Huh?" Quincey asked, suddenly looking right at her.

"Keep going, Q," she said calmly, belaying the thundering staccato of her heart and bile sac. "Ask me."

"Skara?" Quincey said, eyes wider than she'd ever seen them. It was a question that silently asked, Is this real? She nodded for him to continue. "W- Will you go out with me?"

Skara couldn't have hidden her smile if she'd tried. "Yes." She gripped his hand tighter and dropped her cup to take the other. "Yes, Quincey. I would love to go out with you."

The following weekend, Quincey had taken her to a small, family-owned restaurant that she'd never even heard of that had served the best lasagnaw that she'd ever had. They'd talked and chatted as they had for the last nine years of friendship, with the added tingle of something different. The subtle, fun tension and anticipation.

He'd walked her home and stopped at her door, then said those four words she'd been hoping to hear all night. "Can I kiss you?"

She'd answered by drawing close, their hands joined, and placing a kiss of her own on the corner of his mouth. Their lips had met, their noses bumped, and they laughed quietly with each other at the fumble. They tried again and met with success. And then again. And again. And again, until her father had opened the door with an overdramatic scowl. Skara had greeted him brightly as if it were any other moment, stolen one last kiss with Quincey, and darted through the door.

Her mother had made sure her daddy had behaved, for which she was grateful.

"Skara?"

She blinked away the daze of memory and looked around to find them sailing above the hinterlands of the Leg. The Titan's leg opposite the Knee, which extended as a series of smaller islets outward and to the Tippy Toes. It was largely wild with only a few moderate towns, so unlike Bonesborough. Ella must have taken charge to follow Quincey while she daydreamed, and Skara gave her palisman thankful scritches between her wings.

"Are we close?" she asked.

"Almost there," Quincey grinned, and motioned for them to start descending. They did, down to one of the small but taller islets with only a single port. Quincey led the way to a landing site before tracing a spell that summoned a pair of snake-horses for them to ride. Very familiar ones.

"Stabbion and Mara?" Skara asked in surprise. They were two of the prize beasts from the ranch Quincey worked on.

"The ranch owner owed me a favor for some overtime," Quincey explained with a roguish grin. He moved to Mara, the mare, and knelt before cupping his hands. Skara giggled and placed her foot on his hands to let him haul her onto the beast's back. Her tail slithered like the snake it was and fluttered its tongue to examine Skara before nodding, Mara knickering and shivering in excitement.

Quincey hoisted himself up onto Stabbion and clicked his tongue to continue leading uphill through a trail in the woods. They rode for about an hour, the skies getting darker by now and the stars beginning to peek out from the blackness. Skara pinched her fingers in faint concern before stroking Ella's head, the palisman warbling in comfort. As much as she trusted Quincey, being out at night away from Bonesborough made her a little nervous.

She was distracted from her nerves by a strange, high sound in the distance. "What's that?" she asked.

"What we came for," Quincey said with a smile. He flicked his reins and both snorses sped to a trot until they emerged into a clearing surrounding a sharp hill at the center of the isle with a huge, half-cylindrical swath cut out from the side facing them. Skara gasped at what she saw nestled in the crater.

A circle of standing stones was erected in the half-cylinder scooped from the hill, holes burrowed through the stones and carved with glyphs much like what Luz used. Wind was blowing in from the Boiling Sea and up the incline of the isle to funnel into the holes in the stones … and from within them to produce music. Haunting, lulling music that sparkled with pink-hued magic.

Wild Bard magic.

"… What-?" Skara asked, her mind overloaded with questions.

"Edric Blight told me about this place," Quincey said, dismounting his snorse and moving to help Skara off of hers. She let him on sheer muscle memory, gaze still transfixed by the standing stones. "Apparently Eda mentioned it had been guarded by a sect of the Bard Coven long before Belos, kinda like the Looking-Glass Graveyard was protected by the illusionists. With wild magic back in the fold, she told Ed about it, he told me in one of our classes, and, well …" He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought you'd like to see it."

"What do they do?" Skara asked.

"Something about protecting this isle from bad storms and stuff," Quincey shrugged. "I just thought you'd like to hear the music." He looked carefully at her, trying to gauge her widened eyes. "Skara?"

Skara laughed and tackled Quincey full to the ground, peppering his cheeks with kisses. "I love it!" Skara shouted with joy as she shook his shoulders from atop him. "IloveitIloveitIloveit!"

"I'm glad," he laughed. "I just wonder if I should have saved this for our first year anniversary."

"I'm glad you didn't," Skara giggled, rising and hauling him to his feet with little trouble. Then drawing him close to drape her hands on his shoulders as he held her waist, the song of the stones washing over them. "I'll count it as the anniversary gift, if you want." Her eyelids lowered and she smiled at him. "But I still have to get you something in three months' time."

"Meh," Quincey shrugged.

Skara laughed and batted his chest before resting her head there, listening to his heartbeat. Quincey lowered his head onto hers and they began to sway to the wild music.

"I'm glad our moms introduced us all those years ago," Skara whispered. "I can't imagine my life without you."

"Right back at ya, Skar," he sighed.

As night descended and they realized they would have to start for home soon, they decided to wait a little longer. After all, how often would they get a time like this?

The answer? For as many years as they wished …

It's been a while, but we've finally got another tale! Woo! Hope it was as fun to read as to write!

*The title of this tale is a play on the famous first line of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night:" "Music be the food of love."

*Skara's mother is named for my assumption that Skara's name is meant to emphasize the sound "scar." Hence, I added an "a" to the word "lash" and made it a Boiling Isles macabre name.

*Quincey's mother is named after Mina Harker nee Murray from the "Dracula" novel, keeping with Quincey's naming theme. I was going to name her Lucy, but naming Q's mother after the woman his namesakes were romantically interested in seemed kinda odd.

*Yes, I referenced Viney/Skara. I don't care for the ship myself, for more than one reason, but people can ship what they want.

*Quincey commenting on Willow being a good friend is a callback to "Strength."

*Recall that Skara has a nightingale palisman in this continuity, as she was made up long before we first saw her canon cricket in ASIAS.

*The idea of old places guarded by other major covens has occurred to me before, and this seemed like a perfect place to plant one. More may pop up later; we'll have to see.

As always, I hope it was a fun read. Leave a review if you like! And may your own works be fun to read and to write!