Quest Ghosts of Our Past

[Plume]

56th of Summer, 515

The weather was bright and warm in spite of the light shower that had passed the day before. People hustled and bustled their way through the city as always, but they did so with an extra bounce to their step. Maybe it was because of the recreational airs that seemed to stir with Syna's peaking influence. Or maybe it was because of this very same, sometimes stifling influence that people were a little more eager than usual to get to where they needed to be--to where there was shade and coolness. Whatever the reason, it had daily life within those formidable walls bursting with energy.

But one such Syliran was not in the most radiant of moods, in spite of her namesake and famous good cheer.

Instead, she sat against the shade of her wheelbarrow, uncharacteristically silent and alone. A blanket had been spread for her wares as usual, but it was empty. There was none of the typical sounds or sights that normally accompanied Sina's wheelbarrow either. No music, no enthusiastic conversation, no paints and brushes spread haphazardly as she added a new embellishment to one of her instruments.

Those passing by might just assume that the owner of Wildwood Music was merely taking a break. The season was warm, after all, and no one would fault Sina for resting in the shadow of her wheelbarrow while noon blazed merrily overhead.

But then more time would pass, and people began to wonder. Midday heat eventually gave way to evening cool. The rest of the regular merchants at the bazaar were looking to pack their wares once Syna dipped below the horizon from view, and yet one of the best known musicians and storytellers within Syliras remained where she sat. Quiet, forlorn, and staring seemingly at nothing.

A few passerby's would stop to ask if Sina was alright. She would put on a good face, beaming up at them and assuring these kind folk that there was absolutely nothing to worry about. She was merely resting, was all. But the moment they walked away with a nod and smile her face would settle back into that weary, hollow expression of grief. Of confusion and loss. Had anyone who knew Sina well truly took the time to look they would find it utterly unbefitting of her shining personality.

It wasn't until the very last merchants and wanderers had left that the musician allowed herself to weep. She did so silently, but her shoulders shook and her head was bowed in sorrow. Sina was so lost in her pain that she would not have noticed anything, neither heard the sound of footsteps approaching nor felt the presence of another unless touched.

[Gwin]

The day after the wedding, Gwin took her time with everything. Not used to playing at large gatherings, she still felt a little drained and sore. It wasn’t even her arms and fingers because she played for bells day in day out, it was all in her mind. She’d been instructed what to play and many people had listened to her music, so every note had had that pressure on it. It was precisely for those reasons that Gwin didn’t enjoy the spotlight, least of all if it was put on the single thing that was most important in the world to her.

Because of that, she took her time getting up, drinking a large mug of water at the inn Evalin, Gendler and the others were staying at and then venturing out into the city. Violin on her back, attention wandering, she slowly slipped back into her travel routine.

Back at the inn, she’d overheard some gossip. Now that she flitted past a pair of buskers (a singer and harpist combo, inexperienced, but refreshing), a rumor she’d heard in several places came back to her. “If you want to hear good music, the best in Syliras, look for Sina. The girl with a smile bright like the sun can make you dance with joy or weep in despair with her music. Go to Sina’s workshop for the best instruments.”

Nodding to herself, Gwin decided to keep an eye out for that exceptional musician and instrument builder. A kind of urban legend, she seemed to sell from two different places, although the Akvatari didn’t remember where either was located at. After another bell of distracted wandering, she was debating whether to settle down and play somewhere when she happened upon the crying girl.

Since she was curled up in the shadow of her wheelbarrow, Gwin noticed her by sheer coincidence. As soon as her turquoise eyes fell on the trembling shoulders and small form, however, she couldn’t look away anymore. It was as if the saddest Akvatari ballad had been given shape, color and a human voice.

Entirely oblivious to the girl’s identity, Gwin approached her and lowered herself onto the cobblestone. Curling up her furry green tail, she carefully touched the girl’s shoulder. “Is everything alright? Are you hurt?” Clumsy words, painfully inappropriate. She should’ve played a song instead, but her violin was still packed away in the case over her shoulder. “If you tell me what it is, I could write a song to turn it into a thing of beauty.” That was really all she could do – if the bipedal way failed, she’d try with music.

[Plume]

Sina felt the gentle touch on her shoulder and rubbed at her face hastily before looking up. Surprise lit her features for a brief tick.

True to her reputation, the owner of Wildwood music had noticed the violin case first and the newcomer's race second. And at the sight of both her eyes shone with genuine wonder for the first time that day. It wasn't often that a Syliran was lucky enough to meet an Akvatari in person, let alone be comforted by one with an affinity for music. In spite of all the places Sina had managed to travel to in the course of her youth, she'd only met one other Akvatari, but he had been well into his 90's and deeply immersed in the written arts.

This was the Syliran's first time meeting a fellow musician of the famously melancholic race, and in her excitement she was able to push through the blanket of despair, if only for a moment.

"I am not hurt. Not in the physical sense," Sina answered, giving the Akvatari a small but earnest smile. "You are kind for asking, and even more so for offering to make such fine use of my useless tears. And you are right...perhaps if you knew what they were for, they may bring something worth hearing into this world yet."

The young woman wiped the rest of her tears with her sleeves and cleared her throat. "I am being haunted, you see," she began to explain. "Or at least I think I am." The words came slowly, as though this was the first time she was divulging them. And given Sina's usually bright demeanor she may very well have been, though it was hard to tell, with her head bowed and hands laid flat on her lap, moving only to smooth the fabric of her skirts between pauses.

"It's partly why I do not wish to return to my store. It seems I cannot fully escape this ghost, but when I'm indoors it is...much more unsettling. It has not harmed me, but the air around me always grows colder in its presence, and sometimes it makes a racket at night."

Something in her expression changed, and her voice held a sliver of pain. "This morning I found one of my finest violins sporting a hideous crack. I couldn't bear the thought of what else might happen to my precious instruments, so I came here, hoping the distance and crowded streets might help. But when I tried to lay out the first of my wares, this happened..."

With slow, careful movements, Sina reached inside her wagon and pulled out a small, wooden lyre. She then laid it on its side upon the blanket before withdrawing her hands. Sitting back down by the Akvatari's side, she waited for a handful of ticks.

"There. It's happening again. Do you hear it?"

Though no one was touching the lyre, a faint strumming could be heard. It was clumsy and made no melodic sense, but it was no trick of the imagination; the instrument was definitely being played, albeit at the hands of someone or something who for whatever reason found great difficulty in using it. As if each string being plucked took incredible effort and was all but foreign to its user.

Sina closed her eyes, shook her head, and placed her hand upon the strings, muting all of them at once. She stowed the lyre away once more and sighed hopelessly. "I don't know who is doing this and why. Perhaps if I returned to my shop I could learn the truth, but I do not relish the idea of going there alone tonight."

[Gwin]

The girl looked up and smiled at her words, a smile that held a spark of sunlight in it despite her wet cheeks. For the first time, Gwin was wondering if she had found the famous Sina of Wildwood Music. The wheelbarrow, the dark hair and smile like the sun, they were all there.

When the girl began her story, however, the Akvatari focused her words and gestures. Haunted. She’d never experienced what a ghost could do to the living, but like everyone she’d heard stories, ghost stories and supposedly true accounts from travelers and clever merchants. This story was something else though, Gwin could tell after the first sentence. For once, it wasn’t in the past yet and then, it was delivered without any dramatic gestures or other embellishment. Lastly, the ghost itself didn’t sound as mischievous and violent as most of them were depicted.

When she mentioned damage to her instruments, Gwin was sure the girl had to be Sina. In light of her problem, however, that realization came as little more than an afterthought. Beating her wings twice, she leaned forward to gaze at the lyre.

Holding her breath, she listened. At first, nothing, but then, a very faint sound rose from the strings. The melody was sweet, but also incredibly slow and sounded labored, as if the fingers plucking them were incredibly weak for some reason. Perhaps, because it was a ghost, it had a hard time touching and moving things on the material plane. Still, it played the lyre. Gwin listened until Sina covered the strings and took it away.

Running a hand through her blond locks, Gwin sat back and considered the entire story. “Aye, this ghost is definitely trying to tell you something, but it can’t express itself very well… Scaring you won’t help. But if I kept your company at the shop tonight, you’d be able to figure it out, right? I have no plans anyway and I’m also curious as to why it’s playing that lyre.” Only the lyre, apparently. Humming faintly, Gwin’s mind came up with stories of a lonely musician and their tragic death. Before long, a sad smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth. “What do you say?”

[Plume]

Sina smiled at the Akvatari girl. "It seems the well of kindness in you runs deep. I would most certainly appreciate some company, as well as an extra head to help me figure out what this ghost wants."

Tilting her head to one side, she added, "I can't prove it, but I don't think it is trying to harm me. You're right, it seems like it is trying to tell me something, but perhaps it simply does not know how." A thought suddenly struck her and the Syliran's brow rose dramatically. "But look at me, all this talk of my troubles and I've completely forgotten my manners. I am Sina, owner of Wildwood music, if you have not already guessed from my wagon of wares."

She turned to the Akvatari and asked, "And whom might I have the pleasure of receiving ghostly aid from tonight?"

Once the two were properly introduced, Sina made quick work of storing away the blanket and getting her wheelbarrow of instruments back into motion. She marveled now and then at the way Gwin floated, finding it as delicate as it was unfamiliar to behold, and said as much.

"Your wings are a lovely shade of green. Once we resolve this ghost issue, I am thinking maybe I could paint a design on one of my instruments in their liking. What do you think?"

She chattered lightly with the Akvatari all the way home, partly to get to know her new acquaintance and partly to avoid thinking of what awaited them back in her shop. When they finally arrived at Wildwood Music, Sina unlocked the door and wheeled her wagon in, urging Gwin to come inside. The shopowner re-lit some of the candles along the way, having doused all of them before leaving to prevent any accidental fires around her precious instruments.

"It's a bit cluttered at the moment, as I haven't had much time to organize some of the new arrivals," Sina apologized offhandedly, pulling out two seats, one for herself and one for her guest. "But please, make yourself at home."

She settled into her cushioned seat. A genuine smile tinged with a ghost of worry still rested on her face. "We've come at a good time. Or...well, it would not have been so good had I been by myself. Usually the ghost is active around this bell. It will start with some unexplainable noises here and there. Then eventually it will try to play one of my instruments. Sometimes not very carefully..."

Sina gave a little sigh at the memory but brushed it aside. "Well, it is just a waiting game at this point. Can I offer you anything to eat or drink? Or perhaps you have some questions regarding this ghost and its activities?"

[Gwin]

For a moment both of them were lost in thought. It was the human that snapped out of it first and finally introduced herself. Gwin found her suspicion to be confirmed and a smile flickered over her features. “Aye, I suspected… I’m Gwin, traveling musician, and glad to meet the famous instrument maker I’ve heard so much about.”

As Sina started packing up her things, Gwin offered to help. All she could do was tuck in loose ends here or push a little there, but it probably got them moving a little faster. On their way through the streets, she was hovering with her fin inches over the cobblestone, adjusting her pace to Sina and the wheelbarrow. Being met with stares right and left, she was completely oblivious to the girl’s admiring glances until she voiced a suggestion.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. True, the color of her wings and furry tail must be a sight to behold. They had inspired her mother when naming her, after all. Yet the idea of creating works of art from her appearance had never crossed her mind. With their artistic nature, most Akvatari looked at their surroundings for inspiration, not into the mirror. Of course, that particular taboo had an altogether different reason. After the first shock, however, Gwin realized she liked the idea. “Aye, that’d be lovely. I’d be honored to pose for one of your instrument designs.”

Thus they were talking all the way through the narrow streets and corridors of Syliras. Sina turned out to be as bright and chatty as expected, laughing sincerely and on many occasions. Gwin, albeit wrapped in the vague melancholy like every Akvatari, enjoyed herself more than she would’ve guessed. Music was really the only way for her to connect with bipedals. Sina practically oozed with music which seemed to supply endless material for conversation.

When they arrived at the workshop, Gwin inspected all the instruments and related equipment with interest. With wide watery eyes, she fluttered here and there in an attempt to take in everything until offered a seat. Placing her satchel and violin case on the floor, she perched on it rather awkwardly, curling her tail and tucking her fins under the sea green fur.

Tilting her head, she instinctively looked around for ghostly signs. The candles cast a warm glow over wood and metal, although their flickering flames added a gloomy quality to the light. Apparently they’d have to wait for the ghost to announce its presence. “Only water, if it’s not too much trouble…”

Absentmindedly tugging at a blonde lock, Gwin considered everything Sina had told her. “Does it play all kinds of instruments or is it drawn to a particular group? Only strings, perhaps? I wonder why it has chosen you of all people. Perhaps it was someone you knew before they died. Do you have any idea…?” She bit her lip, trying to come up with a phrase that wouldn’t offend… and failing.

Instead she kept casting wary glances around, not wanting to miss the crucial moment. After a while, a nervous chuckle escaped her lips. “I know absolutely nothing of ghosts, let alone laying them to rest… Maybe you should’ve asked the knights for help, after all.” The Knights, they seemed to be the solution for everything out of order in Syliras. Yet Gwin knew they were in it together, at least for the night, and Sina probably knew it too.

[Plume]

Sina noticed how the Akvatari took an instant interest to the various instruments within her shop and smiled as she went to fetch a pitcher of water and two cups. Though she had interacted with countless customers in her trade, not all were true musicians, and even fewer still who were so singularly devoted as the Akvatari were won't to be.

"No trouble at all, Gwin," she responded once she'd filled both cups. "Here you are. One for me, and one for you."

As Sina sipped her water, she listened to the questions that Gwin posed. They were keen observations, some of which Sina had not thought to consider yet herself.

"You know, you are right...now that I think about it, the ghost has indeed been focused solely on strings. My lutes, harps, fiddles, gea'tars...in fact just this morning it had left a most unsightly crack on one of my violins after have dropped it from its perch on the wall." A look of hopeful intrigue lighted Sina's face. "Gwin, my dear, I do believe you've caught onto something."

The shop owner thought for a moment. "I have known many musicians in my life who excel or especially love strings, but...none who have died tragically without my knowing, or would have any reason to haunt me. At least, I don't think. If it was someone who knew me, and I them, I'm sure they would have left much better clues..."

Sina looked to her guest. "Perhaps knowing nothing of ghosts may be an advantage. I do not wish to trouble the knights with such a matter. They are, on top of being rather busy individuals, a bit...ham-handed for the situation, I think. Their field of expertise is after all the physical sort, and unless I am lucky enough to employ the help of one of the rare spiritists within this city, I fear professional assistance is a bit out of my reach at the moment."

"But worry not," she assured Gwin with a smile. "So long as this ghosts wishes us no harm--and I do not believe it does--I have faith we can resolve this on our own."

No sooner had she spoken than a strange noise catch her attention. It was coming from somewhere near their feet. A rattling sound, like someone--or something--was trying to undo the latch to Gwin's violin case. With widening eyes, Sina looked to the case, then to the Akvatari.

"Oh my, I think it's begun a little early tonight...and it seems like it wants something to do with your instruments." Her brow creased slightly with worry as she addressed what no doubt was on both of their minds. "Would you be willing to oblige its wishes? It is of course entirely up to you. One's instrument is no toy to be trifled with, and never properly replaced if lost or damaged. I would understand if you wished for it to remain out of harm's way."

[Gwin]

“Thank you.” With a nod, she accepted the cup and took a long sip. The water did wonders for her dry throat and dust she’d inhaled during her earlier stroll through Syliras.

As Sina answered her question, Gwin cocked her head, wondering what it meant that the ghost felt attracted to strings. After some time, she licked her lips. The thought she was about to voice would leave a foul aftertaste, but she simply couldn’t rule out the possibility. “Maybe one of those musicians has died without your knowledge. Most people of our trade seem to be traveling, playing here and there. We lead a dangerous life.” Of course, Sina had to know all that, but Gwin mentioned it anyway to take the edge off her earlier words. Nobody liked to discover someone they’d known had died without their knowledge, although death was simply another part of life. It preceded and followed it, reminding the living that everything was transitory. Decay and death were always just around the corner, but so was rebirth. A ghostly existence, on the other hand, seemed entirely unnatural to Gwin.

Pushing away her musings on states of being, the Akvatari briefly returned to the question at hand. “If the ghost didn’t know you personally, they might’ve heard of you and decided you were the solution to their problem. I’ve noticed that your reputation precedes you.”

Then she nodded slowly. Sina was probably right with her evaluation of the knights. Their expertise lay in a different field and the rarity of spiritists didn’t come as a surprise too. In Riverfall, she’d only met a single person who classified as mage. In Zeltiva, there had been more talk of magic, but it made sense that Syliras lacked such people as the university seemed to be a unique institution. Either way, if the instrument builder had faith in her, Gwin would believe in that as well.

She took another sip and, as she lowered the cup into her lap, almost spilled the water. The sudden rattling had made her jump and jerk her head at the violin case in shock. The latch, already battered and worn, would give in all too soon. Gwin stared at it until Sina’s voice wormed its way into her numb mind and released her from paralysis.

Beating her wings, Gwin slipped to the floor to open the case and present her beautiful violin – light wood, with ornaments carved on the fingerboard – to the invisible presence. Putting the cup aside, she undid the latch with trembling fingers and kept her hand about the instrument. That way she could catch and rescue it to prevent damage, she hoped.

[Plume]

Sina watched with a mix of curiosity and concern as the Akvatari moved to open the violin case. She could see the care with which Gwin undid the latches and hovered her hands over the instrument, though nothing happened once the case was open. At least, not immediately.

There was a moment of stillness. Silence. Nothing and no one moved for those few, crawling ticks. It was as if the very air around them held itself in, scarce daring to breathe for fear of missing what came next.

And then it happened. It was very faint, but with how quiet the room had grown it was more than audible enough to the two living souls within the shop. At first there were only two or three notes, clumsily plucked across the lovely instrument, again and again. A pattern of some sort, if the repetition was anything to go by. Over the next chime, however, more notes were added. The process seemed painstaking, though the spirit behind it showed no sign of giving up. Eventually, some kind of melody could be made out. It sounded almost like a lullaby, though it was still hard to say, as the ghost's struggle and obvious lack of experience left the tune rather rhythmnless.

But once all of the notes appeared to have been incorporated into the melody, something even more peculiar happened. The little peg holding Gwin's bow slowly began to turn. It rotated bit by bit until it was parallel to the bow, after which it stopped. Then the plucked melody began anew, albeit this time with slightly less clumsiness, and once it reached its end the bow did a gentle kind of wiggle. This happened three more times before the bow finally slipped slightly off of the holder.

Sina stared at the case and instrument before returning her gaze to Gwin. "Little experience as I have with ghosts, I think I know what the spirit wants..."

There was a breath's worth of hesitance, then, "I think it wants you to play its song."

The bow gave another wiggle in response, as if agreeing, after which the melody was plucked anew. Except this time, there was a clear feeling of urgency. The notes were slightly more rushed and some of the other strings touched accidentally in the ghost's haste. But there was no mistaking its intention.

It wanted Gwin to play.

"Do you think you can do it?" Sina asked in a hushed voice.

[Gwin]

Gwin kept her hand about the violin and leaned forward with her thin wings trembling slightly. Yet nothing happened as she held her breath. Then the first note echoed through the workshop.

Her fingers twitched with surprise, but when the second and then the third string was plucked, she lowered her arm until it rested in her lap. At first the notes seemed disjointed and the sight of each string being plucked clumsily and with great effort almost pained the Akvatari. Soon, however, individual sounds added up and formed a melody. It was playing a song! Leaning forward even more, Gwin listened with every fiber of her being. When the song was repeated, she’d already memorized parts of it. By the time the peg holding her bow turned, the entire song was tucked away safely in her memory.

It sounded like a lullaby, although the lack of a clear rhythm and chorus suggested a more complex idea. Suddenly Gwin wondered if the ghost had been an Akvatari. The lonely and bittersweet theme certainly appealed to her.

The bow moved. Listening to music always calmed the musician, yet she was still trembling slightly in the presence of the supernatural. It didn’t seem right that strings and a bow could be moved by invisible forces! Knowing things like the Konti did was one thing – seeing the work of something other than mortal, however, was an entirely different matter. Her fingers lacked their usual strength, grasping at thin air.

Yet the message was clear as the water in her cup. While the ghost was plucking the melody again, with more haste, Gwin swallowed and straightened as much as she could. Before the song ended, she met Sina’s gaze briefly and shrugged. To her, the question was merely rhetoric. “I doesn’t matter. I will play.”

She hesitated another tick, giving the ghost an opportunity to respond or back away, before taking the violin out of its case and preparing it for play. Skipping the tuning process, she lifted her bow and launched straight into the song. Gwin had spent her entire life wrapped into music. Even before she’d been able to hold a violin, her mother had always sung lullabies, played around with some instrument or composed. To Gwin, remembering a song she’d only heard once or twice was perfectly natural.

The lullaby had struck a chord in her. After a few beats, she’d left the nervous tension behind and her fingers grew confident on the wooden board. As always, she closed her eyes and jumped straight into the music, letting the emotion take over. With her violin, Gwin tried her hardest to call out to the restless spirit in the workshop, soothing it, offering her help, asking for its wishes. With her violin, she extended a hand, convinced that music could bridge the gap between mortal and otherworldly existence.