Log; Complete

[caged-song.livejournal.com]

When; July 6th; later in the evening
Rating; G (With Nill in it...what would you expect?)
Characters; Luke [soulxcrush] and Nill [caged_song]
Summary; Nill joins Luke in his dream of his homeworld and learn to sing a song that ends up sounding better than they could have imagined.
Log;

The sound of the words were familiar, not as easy for him to remember as the melody itself but if he wanted to Luke could trace their shape with his own lips. He didn't know the words but there they were far from meaningless, there was an understanding there. At the very least it had a very personal meaning for Luke.

He half remembered a deeper voice, baritone, singing the same words and melody but the brief panic of not remembering was washed away by the sound of Tear's voice.

He wanted to open his eyes and look up at her from where he was lying. With his eyes closed like this he was half afraid of falling asleep in his dream and that her voice, her lap, her hair tickling his nose, all of it would disappear along with the glow of the Selenia flowers. "Is it really you?" he wondered out loud though he didn't want her to break the song. Just finish it, the answer didn't matter.

A hand touched his cheek and he couldn't keep his eyes closed anymore. "I miss you," there was this puppy like quality to him, it made her want to think that he was "so cute" but that wasn't really all it was. She sighed as the song ended and just looked at Luke. A part of him was glad she didn't say anything because that might break the dream.

"Tell Guy…no, tell everyone I miss them." If this was Tear's dream too and she could really hear him. "And I'll really be back, like I promised. And uh, Jade's fine too and Emperor Peony." There wasn't much else to say, with Tear it was either there was too much to say or not much. Too much he would go on forever and wouldn't finish so he just stayed where he was.

There was the sound of rustling among the field of flowers, maybe someone from the City wandering by. He didn't mind sharing his dream with them even if it was a personal moment. Luke was glad it was a peaceful dream he was sharing instead of nightmares like so many others.

Nill took slow steps in the field of flowers, it was a beautiful dream she had just stepped into and she had no intention of carelessly trampling any of the flowers.

She had heard someone singing a few moments earlier and she edged toward where she thought the source was. A few seconds later, Nill came across Tear and Luke. Wings fluttering, she took a step back since it appeared that she might have been interrupting something.

"S-Sorry...should I come back later?"

Her voice had come out a bit shaky but what could you expect from a girl who could only talk in her dreams?

"Nill?" Luke sat up, just a little startled. But it made sense that Nill would be able to talk in her dreams, she had a voice even if she couldn't use it in reality. He smiled at her and waved her over brightly, "No, it's okay, come one."

There was a beat as he turned to Tear, almost afraid she'd be gone. But she was still there, looking at Nill curiously, a hand held in front of her faintly smiling lips. Of course Tear would find Nill cute. Luke gestured for Nill to sit by them. Now that Luke's eyes were open and looking he could see just where he was. The ruins of Hod hovered in the distance, though the sound of the water falling was muted in his dream he should have recognized it. The two places he remembered the flowers most clearly were in this field and in Yulia City.

He touched the luminous flowers gently with his fingertips, they were what he thought of when he thought of Tear after all.

"This is Tear, Nill. And Tear this is Nill," the introductions would be one sided because Tear rarely spoke in his dreams. It was easier for Luke to dream of her without her speaking because when she spoke somehow it scared him. There would be doubts of if it was Tear or if it was just his dream. So usually it was just the song that would spill from her lips because whether it was from a dream or whether it was really from Tear it meant the same thing. She was still waiting for him, they all were.

Tear didn't speak but she did offer a smile and nod in return, clasping her hands in her lap as if afraid they'd reach out without control to feather a soft touch against fluttering wings.
Carefully sitting down, so as not to crush the surrounding flowers, she gave a smile to Luke's friend. Tear was really pretty, save for she couldn't find a better word to describe pretty things in her vocabulary. For the moment, pretty would have to do although Tear was definitely more than just pretty.

"I-It's nice to meet you Miss Tear...w-were...were you the one singing earlier?"

She tilted her head, the lingering voice in her memory. It couldn't have been Luke after all...the singer had sounded female, and Luke didn't really sound like a girl...

"It...it was really pretty..."

Tear nodded in response, the smile on her lips always kind and warm. So different from how annoying and bossy Luke thought she was when they'd first met. But then Luke had changed a lot too.

"No one else can sing it like Tear," Luke informed with a grin. It was both flattery and the truth, there was no one else that could sing Yulia's Hymn with the same effect as Tear. Tear just shook her head with a slight twitch of her smile in response to Luke. She held out a hand towards Nill and then pressed her hand over her ample chest as if to ask Nill to sing with her since there were no other words in these dreams for them. So may as well let that do the speaking.

Luke gave a wide grin, he wasn't much of a singer or rather he'd never gave it much thought except for thatone curse day and he preferred not to remember that. Luke was more for doing things than trying them though. There were a few false starts but Luke landed the first note and the first word of their story, an octave lower than Tear usually sang it. He tripped over the words a little, never having tried them out loud before and he wondered if part of that little smile that lit up Tear's face was laughing at him.

Nill giggled softly at Luke's several tries at starting the song. It was silly, but he had gotten there eventually.

The girl started out softly, she had never sung before, and was scared that she might not be capable of singing. It was a new song too, but Nill had caught on quick since she was a very good listener, a quality gained from being mute. After a few moments, her voice got smoother, the notes flowing from her lips. She wasn't great, but she wasn't bad either. Her wings fluttered a bit, showing her pleasure at being able to sing.

The song itself was very pretty, although she didn't understand the words, Nill could tell that the song was an important one...something about the way it was sung, the feeling it gave off, it was important, there was a story. Maybe she'd find out what the story told someday.

They were their own choir, singing their own story. It didn't really matter what the words were, it had a meaning to each of them. Deeper for Tear than anyone else maybe, but it was a part of Luke and now Nill too. Her first song even if it was in a dream.

Tear joined in during the second verse, the inflection was different something about all of them singing together. They weren't speaking really but Luke could tell dream Tear, Tear was happy. Luke's voice quivered and broke at parts of it, the range was too wide for him but the feelings were still there. He felt bad for everyone broadcasting nightmares in the City but this dream, sharing it with Nill, he loved this curse.

The slight loneliness that gnawed at him at odd hours since Guy left felt so, so far away. He swayed a little with the gentle rhythm of the hymn, it was only then that he noticed that the flowers were doing the same like the wind was part of this symphony. To have someone else know this, the song and the importance of it, having Nill present made it all that much better. He wanted the clock to slow and for the minutes before midnight to draw out.

So this was what it was like to sing. Making music, notes melding together into an entrancing melody. Like Luke, she didn't want the curse to end. Everyone could finally hear her, and she could finally sing. It was a dream come true, one she had been waiting for since she had been dragged into the underground labs.

Her voice faltered at the faint memory of scientists and experiments but she quickly ignored them. Nill wasn't going to let them ruin this dream, definitely not. As Tear joined in, Nill's voice grew surer and sweeter.

All three voices joined together to form one voice, and the girl was quite taken by the melody. It was so soft and soothing, and mixed with the swaying flowers and the light breeze, it was as if they had created something more than a song. This dream...she didn't want to end...ever...

Nill's voice was pretty, just like Luke had imagined. Glancing between Tear and Nill he was caught by how happy Nill was. Of course it was expected, she could speak in a curse like this, she could even sing. But seeing her so elated it was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

But there was still some time before the curse faded and dreams became just dreams again so Luke just sang that final verse as well as he could so that he wouldn't ruin what Nill and Tear had created. As the melody faded into the sound of rushing water Luke felt Tear touch his hand.

Her hair outlined the shape of the wind as it seemed to swirl in a small storm. Was it ending, was it fading? The glow of the flowers seemed to blur and the sound of the waterfall and crickets seem to grow muted. Tear's lips were moving and Luke thought he could hear her voice. "I'll be…all of us will be waiting for you."

It was Luke's turn to be unable to speak or maybe unwilling because whatever he said wouldn't be enough. So he just gently plucked one of the swaying flowers and tucked the stem behind Tear's ear. He knew, he never doubted. He gave Nill a wide grin as he turned to her, taking two more flowers and fastening them carefully to the ribbons that held her hair in pigtails. He wasn't sure if they'd stay after the dream but for now they were cute. Getting up he offered a hand to help Nill up, back turned from Tear. It would be easier for him to leave this dream before the curse ended, easier to walk away rather than to watch it fade.

Taking the outstretched hand, Nill stood up and dusted herself off. The dream was ending, the edges of the scenery was fading away, the edges blurring. The girl waved a swift goodbye to Tear's fading figure before turn and following Luke out of the dream.

It was time to go...

The girl bit her lip, the action was meant to distract her from any sullen thoughts that might emerge. She had had fun. People had heard her talk. She had learned to sing.

A soft sigh escaped from her lips. She wouldn't be able to speak again when she woke up. But there would be a "someday"...and Nill planned on waiting patiently for it to come.